ALTERNATIVE EXPRESSION OF PLATELET GLYCOPROTEIN IB-BETA MESSENGER-RNAFROM AN ADJACENT 5'-GENE WITH AN IMPERFECT POLYADENYLATION SIGNAL SEQUENCE

Glycoprotein (GP) Ib is a major component of the platelet membrane rec eptor for von Willebrand factor, designated the GP Ib-M-V complex. GP Ib is composed of two subunits (GP Ib alpha and GP Ib beta) each synth esized from separate genes. The 206 amino acid precursor of GP Ib beta is synthesized from a 1.0-kb mRNA expressed by megakaryocytes and was originally characterized from cDNA clones of human erythroleukemic (H EL) cell mRNA, a cell line exhibiting megakaryocytic-like properties. The cell line CHRF-288-11 also exhibits megakaryocytic-like properties , but synthesizes two related GP Ib beta mRNA species of 3.5 and 1.0 k b. We performed cDNA cloning experiments to identify the origin of the 3.5-kb transcript and determine its relationship to the 1.0-kb GP Ib beta mRNA found in megakaryocytes, platelets, and HEL cells. Our cloni ng experiments demonstrate that the longer transcript results from a n onconsensus polyadenylation recognition sequence, (5')AACAAT(3'), with in a separate gene located upstream to the platelet GP Ib beta gene. Z n the absence of normal polyadenylation the more 5' gene uses the poly adenylation site within its 3' neighbor, the platelet GP Ib beta gene. This newly identified 5' gene contains an open reading frame encoding 369 amino acids with a high degree of sequence similarity to an expan ding family of GTP-binding proteins.