Cloning, expression, and mapping of a mouse gene, Uchl4, highly homologousto human and mouse Uchl3

Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolases (UCHs) are implicated in the proteol ytic processing of polymeric ubiquitin, We have isolated a novel mouse gene for ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L4. The gene named Uchl4 encodes a novel member of the family of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrol ases (UCHs) whose predicted amino acid sequence shows 95% identity to mouse UCH-L3 and 94% identity to human UCH-L3, Genomic structure, chromosome loc alization, and expression pattern of Uchl3 and Uchl4 were characterized in the mouse. Both Uchl3 and Uchl4 were expressed in various tissues examined; however, expression level was quite lower in Uchl4. While Uchl3 consists o f at least 9 exons spanning about 12 kb, Uchl4 was an intronless gene with a size of about 2 kb. By PCR-based analysis with T31 radiation hybrid mappi ng panel, Uchl3 and Uchl4 were mapped on mouse chromosome 9 and 14, respect ively. (C) 2001 Academic Press.