Cloning, sequence analysis, and chromosomal localization of the novel human integrin alpha 11 subunit (ITGA11)

The integrins are a large family of cell adhesion molecules consisting of n oncovalently associated alpha beta heterodimers. We have cloned and sequenc ed the cDNA of a novel human integrin alpha-subunit, designated alpha 11. T he alpha 11 cDNA encodes a mature protein with a large 1120-residue extrace llular domain that contains an I-domain of 207 residues and is linked by a transmembrane domain to a short cytoplasmic domain of 24 amino acids. The d educed alpha 11 protein shows the typical structural features of integrin a lpha-subunits and is similar to a distinct group of alpha-subunits from col lagen-binding integrins. However, it differs from most integrin alpha-chain s by an incompletely preserved cytoplasmic GFFKR motif, The human ITGA11 ge ne was localized to bands q22.3-q23 on chromosome 15, and its transcripts w ere found in a variety of tissues, but predominantly in bone, cartilage, ca rdiac muscle, and skeletal muscle. Expression of a 5.5-kb alpha 11 mRNA was detectable in small intestine. (C) 1999 Academic Press.