Open AccessStructure and expression of the human L-myc gene reveal a complex pattern of alternative mRNA processing.
Author(s) -
Frederic J. Kaye,
James F. Battey,
Marion M. Nau,
Barbara A. Brooks,
Eli Seifter,
Jacques De Grève,
Michael J. Birrer,
Edward A. Sausville,
John D. Minna
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
molecular and cellular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.14
H-Index - 327
eISSN - 1067-8824
pISSN - 0270-7306
DOI - 10.1128/mcb.8.1.186
Subject(s) - biology , exon , polyadenylation , alternative splicing , gene , intron , rna splicing , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , precursor mrna , messenger rna , genetics , rna
We analyzed in detail the structure of the L-myc gene isolated from human placental DNA and characterized its expression in several small-cell lung cancer cell lines. The gene is composed of three exons and two introns spanning 6.6 kilobases in human DNA. Several distinct mRNA species are produced in all small-cell lung cancer cell lines that express L-myc. These transcripts are generated from a single gene by alternative splicing of introns 1 and 2 and by use of alternative polyadenylation signals. In some mRNAs there is a long open reading frame with a predicted translated protein of 364 residues. Amino acid sequence comparison with c-myc and N-myc demonstrated multiple discrete regions with extensive homology. In contrast, other mRNA transcripts, generated by alternative processing, could encode a truncated protein with a novel carboxy-terminal end.