CDNA CLONING OF MOUSE BLM GENE, THE HOMOLOG TO HUMAN BLOOMS-SYNDROME GENE, WHICH IS HIGHLY EXPRESSED IN THE TESTIS AT THE MESSENGER-RNA LEVEL

We cloned a cDNA encoding the mouse homologue to human Bloom's syndrom e gene (BLM). The deduced amino acid sequence of mouse Blm showed 76% identity to the human sequence with very high homology in seven consec utive domains characteristic of DNA and RNA helicases. The expression of mBLM mRNA was examined in various tissues. Extremely high expressio n was observed in the testis as compared with other tissues. The mBLM mRNA level in the testis began to increase 12-14 days after birth, cor responding to the appearance of cells in the pachytene phase. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.