RXR-2, a member of the retinoid x receptor family in Schistosoma mansoni

A cDNA encoding a second full-length member of the Schistosoma mansoni RXR family (SmRXR-2) was identified. The nucleotide sequence of SmRXR-2 transla tes into a protein of 784 amino acids with a pI of 7.63 and an approximate mass of 78 kDa making it the largest reported RXR to date. Phylogenetic tre e analysis provides evidence that SmRXR-2 is the most ancient full-length R XR identified. SmRXR-2 exhibits unique sequence features compared with othe r RXRs. RT-PCR results demonstrate that the SmRXR-2 gene is constitutively expressed and thus must play multiple roles throughout schistosome developm ent in the vertebrate host. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reser ved.