N. Shimokawa et al., SPECIFIC SPECIES AND TISSUE DIFFERENCES FOR THE GENE-EXPRESSION OF CALCIUM-BINDING PROTEIN REGUCALCIN, Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 143(1), 1995, pp. 67-71
The existence and expression of gene encoding the Ca2+-binding protein
regucalcin in various species and tissues were investigated with Sout
hern and Northern hybridization analyses using regucalcin cDNA (0.9 kb
of open reading frame). Genomic Southern hybridization analysis demon
strated that regucalcin gene was widely conserved among higher animals
including human, monkey, rat, mouse, dog, bovine, rabbit and chicken.
The gene was not found in yeast. The Northern blot analysis of poly (
A)(+)RNAs extracted from the liver of various species showed that regu
calcin mRNA was predominantly expressed in rat and mouse, although the
expression was also seen in human, bovine and chicken. Furthermore, t
he enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) with rabbit-anti-reguca
lcin IgG indicated that hepatic regucalcin concentration was most pron
ounced in rat as compared with that of guinea pig, mouse and chicken.
These observations show that the gene expression of regucalcin and its
protein synthesis is unique in the liver of rats, suggesting the exis
tence of a specific mechanism in demonstrating regucalcin synthesis fr
om gene.