GENOMIC ORGANIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF MOUSE DEOXYRIBONUCLEASE-I

Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) has recently been implicated in cell dea th by apoptosis, a process which is frequently accompanied by chromati n DNA degradation. Despite extensive studies on DNase I, its genomic o rganisation remained unknown. Here we report for the first time on the intron-exon structure of the DNase I gene. The coding region of mouse DNase I is composed of eight introns and eight exons, spanning 2315 b ase pairs. The deduced protein sequence is 91.5% identical to its rat counterpart, but does not carry the two mutations (Glu13 to D and V67 to I) responsible for the decrease in actin-binding of rat DNase I. Th e enzymatic activity of mouse DNase I is found in striated muscle, kid ney, intestine, liver, lymphnodes, but not in the heart, spleen or pan creas. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.