THE 66-KDA NEUROFILAMENT PROTEIN (NF-66) - SEQUENCE-ANALYSIS AND EVOLUTION

A 2.5 kb cDNA clone encoding the mouse 66 kd neurofilament protein (NF -66) was isolated and sequenced. The deduced protein sequence contains 501 amino acid residues. Comparison of the mouse, rat and human NF-66 indicated >90% homology in protein sequence and 85% homology in codin g nucleotide sequence. A high degree of homology was observed between NF-66 and other intermediate filament proteins especially in the alpha -helical domain. Zooblot analyses suggested that the putative ancestra l gene for vimentin and NF-66 was detectable in the avian. By comparis on, the ancestral sequence for GFAP appeared after that for vimentin.