MOLECULAR-CLONING AND STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE HUMAN INDUCIBLE NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHASE GENE (NOS2)

Previously, we reported the isolation and molecular cloning of human i nducible nitric oxide synthase gene (NOS2) sequences from human chromo some 17 cosmid libraries. Here we describe the further characterizatio n and sequencing of the NOS2 gene. The genomic structure of the NOS2 g ene was determined from two overlapping cosmid clones, namely, pcos4A and pcos20. The NOS2 open reading frame is encoded by 27 exons, with t ranslation initiation and termination in exon 2 and exon 27, respectiv ely. These results differ from the previously reported organization of the iNOS gene, where 26 exons were reported for the genomic structure of NOS2. (C) 1996 Academic Press Inc.