Open AccessHuman genome contains four genes homologous to transforming genes of Harvey and Kirsten murine sarcoma viruses.
Author(s) -
Esther H. Chang,
Matthew A. Gonda,
Ronald W. Ellis,
Edward M. Scolnick,
Douglas R. Lowy
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.79.16.4848
Subject(s) - biology , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , homologous chromosome , genome , genetics , dna , genomic dna , conserved sequence , restriction map , nucleic acid sequence , peptide sequence
Harvey and Kirsten murine sarcoma viruses each encode a structurally and functionally related 21-kilodalton protein (p21), which is the transforming protein of each virus. Using probes from the 0.9-kilobase (kb) p21-coding region of each virus (called v-Ha-ras and v-Ki-ras, respectively), we have molecularly cloned from normal human genomic DNA the sequences that hybridize to these probes. Four evolutionarily divergent restriction endonuclease fragments were isolated. Two hybridized preferentially to v-Ha-ras and were designated human c-Ha-ras1 and c-Ha-ras2; two hybridized preferentially to v-Ki-ras and were called c-Ki-ras1 and c-Ki-ras2. Human c-Ha-ras1 contained 0.9 kb of sequence homologous with v-Ha-ras interspersed with three intervening sequences; this gene was closely related to a previously cloned rat c-Ha-ras gene that also contained intervening sequences. Human c-Ha-ras2 was more divergent from v-Ha-ras and also hybridized poorly to human c-Ha-ras1. One c-Ki-ras gene contained 0.9 kb homologous to v-Ki-ras and had one intervening sequence, whereas the other contained only 0.3 kb homologous to v-Ki-ras. The results indicated that human DNA contains several copies of the c-ras family and that c-Ha-ras1 (with intervening sequences) was more highly conserved evolutionarily than was c-Ha-ras2.