CYTOCHROME-P450 GENES EXPRESSED IN PORCINE OVARIES - IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL FORMS, EVIDENCE FOR GENE CONVERSION, AND EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS

In order to identify cytochrome P450s that are expressed in porcine ov aries, the RT/PCR methodology was used with a see of primers that corr esponds to two conserved regions of the 2C gene subfamily of these enz ymes, Five independene cDNB clones were isolated from preovulatory fol licles (PF1, PF11, PF13, PF14, PF15) and six from the corpus luteum (C L1, CL6, CL7, CL8, CL12, CL13). The structural identities categorize t hese 11 P450s into two groups, group A consisting of PF1, CL7 and CL8 and group B consisting of the remaining clones. In addition, segments that are apparently interchanged between the clones were also revealed , implicating gene conversion events that have homogenized the sequenc e of these P450s. Furthermore, although the larger group of these porc ine enzymes (group B forms) are structurally very similar to the known human P450s of the 2C gene subfamily, the group A forms are much more distantly related, implying that the 2C P450s might have evolved diff erently in the two species. (C) 1995 Acadmic Press, Inc.