MOLECULAR-CLONING AND TISSUE EXPRESSION OF HUMAN MITOCHONDRIAL 3-HYDROXY-3-METHYLGLUTARYL-COA SYNTHASE

Mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase is a constituent of the HMG-CoA pathway responsible for ketone body s ynthesis and one of its main regulatory points. We report the isolatio n and characterization of a 2058-bp cDNA from human liver. This cDNA e ncodes a polypeptide of 508 residues and 56,635 Da. The homology with previously reported rat mitochondrial and human cytosolic HMG-CoA synt hases is 88 and 66%, respectively. mRNA levels were high in liver and colon, low in testis, heart, skeletal muscle, and kidney, and faint in pancreas. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.