Molecular cloning of the murine cMOAT ATPase

cMOAT encodes an ATPase within the family of cMOAT/MRP ATPases that functio ns as an ATP dependent, multispecific anion transporter within the canalicu lar surface of hepatocytes that has pharmacologic significance. We describe here the cloning of a murine cMOAT cDNA isolated from mouse liver. The ope n reading frame of this cDNA incorporates 4627 nucleotides encoding 1309 am ino acids with 77.5% and 86.7% identity with the human and rat encoded amin o acids, respectively. Northern blotting showed that the expression of cMOA T mRNA occurs primarily in mouse liver in the form of two variants with app roximately 5.6 and 7.8 kb of sequence each. cMOAT mRNA was also detected in mouse kidney at a low level but was not detected in other mouse organs or tumors except the Hep 1-6 murine hepatoma where expression was also in the form of the same two mRNA variants. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All righ ts reserved.