COMPLETE CDNAS FOR CDC42 FROM CHICKEN COCHLEA AND MOUSE-LIVER

CDC42 is a member of the ms superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins that are related through the highly conserved GTP-binding domain and a re involved in signal transduction pathways. Two full-length CDC42 cDN As have been isolated: a 2148-bp chick cochlea cDNA and a 2063-bp mous e liver cDNA. Each encodes a CDC42 protein of 191 amino acids. The avi an CDC42 protein differs from the mouse at only one amino acid residue , a Thr for a Ser at position 185. Both CDC42 proteins are more simila r to the ubiquitous human isoform originally isolated from placenta th an to the isoform isolated from fetal brain. Using a probe from the 3' UTR of the mouse liver CDC42 cDNA, we demonstrated that the mouse gene is expressed in all tissues examined. Southern blot analysis of a mou se inter-specific backcross with this gene-specific probe identified a t least three CDC42-like (Cdc421) genes in the mouse genome. Cdc4211 w as mapped to distal mouse Chromosome 4, near Cappbl. Cdc4212 mapped mo re proximal on Chromosome 4, whereas Cdc4213 mapped to the X Chromosom e. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.