Characterization of the human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor delta gene and its expression

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors r egulating the expression of genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism. Three different PPARs; alpha (PPARA), gamma (PPARG) and delta (PPARD) have been characterized and they are distinguished from each other by tissue di stribution and cell activation. In this study, the structure and detailed c hromosomal localization of the human PPARD gene was determined. Three genom ic clones containing the PPARD gene was isolated from a human Fl library. T he gene spans approximately 85 kb of DNA and consists of 9 exons and 8 intr ons with exons ranging in size from 84 bp to 2.3 kb and introns ranging fro m 180 bp to 50 kb. All splice acceptor and donor sites conform to the conse nsus sequences including the AG-GT motif. Although PPARD lacks a TATA box, the gene is transcribed from a unique start site located 380 bp upstream of the ATG initiation codon. The 5' and 3' ends were mapped by rapid amplific ation of cDNA ends and the mRNA size of PPARD based upon the structure of t he gene is 3803 bp. In addition, the chromosomal sublocalization of PPARD w as determined by radiation hybrid mapping. The PPARD gene is located at 14 cR from the colipase gene and 15 cR from the serine kinase gene at chromoso mal region 6p21.2.