THE EXPANDING BETA-4-GALACTOSYLTRANSFERASE GENE FAMILY - MESSAGES FROM THE DATA-BANKS

From a systematic search of the UniGene and dbEST databanks, using hum an beta 4-galactosytransferase (beta 4GalT-I), which is recognized to function in lactose biosynthesis, as the query sequence, we have ident ified five additional gene family members denoted as beta 4GalT-II, -I II, -IV, -V, and -VI, Complementary DNA clones containing the complete coding regions for each of the five human homologs were obtained or g enerated by a PCR-based strategy (RACE) and sequenced. Relative to bet a 4GalT-I, the percent sequence identity at the amino acid level betwe en the individual family members, ranges from 33% (beta 4GalT-VI) to 5 5% (beta 4GalT-II). The highest sequence identity between any of the h omologs is between beta 4GalT-V and beta 4GalT-VI (68%), beta 4GalT-TI is the ortholog of the chicken beta 4GalT-II gene, which has been dem onstrated to encode an alpha-lactalbumin responsive beta 4-galactosylt ransferase (Shaper et al., J. Biol. Chem., 272, 31389-31399, 1997), As established by Northern analysis, beta 4GalT-II and -VI show the most restricted pattern of tissue expression. High steady state levels of beta 4GalT-II mRNA are seen only in fetal brain and adult heart, muscl e, and pancreas; relatively high levels of beta 4GalT-VI mRNA are seen only in adult brain. When the corresponding mouse EST clone for each of the beta 4GalT family members was used as the hybridization probe f or Northern analysis of murine mammary tissue, transcription of only t he beta 4GalT-I gene could be detected in the lactating mammary gland. These observations support the conclusion that among the six known be ta 4GalT family members in the mammalian genome, that have been genera ted through multiple gene duplication events of an ancestral gene(s), only the beta 4GalT-I ancestral lineage was recruited for lactose bios ynthesis during the evolution of mammals.