HMG-box sequences from microbats homologous to the human SOX30 HMG-box

SOX genes are a family of genes that encode for proteins which are characte rised by the presence of a HMG-domain related to that of the mammalian sex- determining gene (SRY). By definition, the DNA binding domain of SOX genes is at least 50% identical to the 79 amino acid HMG domain of the SRY gene. We report here two HMG-box sequences from two microbat species (R. ferrumeq uinum and P. Pipistrellus) which were PCR amplified using a primer pair spe cific to the mouse Sry HMG-box. The high percentage of identity of this seq uences with the human and mouse SOX30 HMG-box suggests that they are the SO X30 HMG-box for these two bat species.