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Cloning of a novel TGF‐β related cytokine, the vgr, from rat brain: Cloning of and comparison to homologous human cytokines
Author(s) -
Sauermann U.,
Meyermann R.,
Schluesener H. J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.490330118
Subject(s) - complementary dna , choroid plexus , microbiology and biotechnology , northern blot , biology , cytokine , cloning (programming) , western blot , messenger rna , cdna library , gene , central nervous system , immunology , genetics , endocrinology , computer science , programming language
Abstract Here we describe cloning of a TGF‐β related cytokine from a rat brain cDNA library. This novel cytokine, the vgr (vegetal related), is homologous to the vegetal (Vg1) gene of Xenopus (DL Weeks and DA Melton, Cell, 51:861–867, 1987). In rat brain mRNA a single 3.5 kb RNA could be detected by Northern blot analysis. Thus, this new cytokine is constitutively expressed in the central nervous system. A monoclonal antibody reactive with a synthetic peptide of vgr revealed a faint vgr‐like immunoreactivity throughout the CNS, with more pronounced staining of hippocampal neurons, ependymal cells, cells of the choroid plexus, and hypophysis. Using the rat cDNA, two homologous human cytokine cDNAs encoding the human vgr and op‐1 were cloned. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.