Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (16)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Deen, P. M.
Right arrow Articles by Martens, G. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Deen, P. M.
Right arrow Articles by Martens, G. J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 9, 483-494, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Comparative structural analysis of the transcriptionally active proopiomelanocortin genes A and B of Xenopus laevis

PM Deen, MJ Bussemakers, D Terwel, EW Roubos and GJ Martens
Department of Animal Physiology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

In the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland, the prohormone proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is processed to, among other peptides, melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). In the toad Xenopus laevis alpha-MSH controls skin darkening during background adaptation, and the level of POMC gene transcription in the intermediate lobe depends on the color of the background. In the lobe, two structurally different POMC proteins are produced from two mRNAs that are transcribed to approximately the same level from two POMC genes (A and B). We previously reported the entire nucleotide sequence of Xenopus POMC gene B. To identify conserved-- and thus potential regulatory--DNA elements in the Xenopus POMC gene, we here report the determination and analysis of the complete nucleotide sequence of Xenopus POMC gene A and its 5'- and 3'-flanking regions. Comparison of the two Xenopus POMC genes revealed, in addition to the exons, three highly conserved regions. First, the promoter regions are greater than 90% identical. The second region concerns JH12 repetitive elements situated at approximately the same position in both genes. These elements are greater than 86% identical. The third region is a 500-bp sequence just upstream of exon three (63% identity). Besides these three large regions, several small regions with significant identity were found at similar positions in the two POMC genes. The fact that, except for the JH12 element, the repetitive elements are not conserved between the two POMC genes indicates that these repeats are not functionally important.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 EndocrinologyHome page
A. H. Kidane, E. W. Roubos, and B. G. Jenks
Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Regulates Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Exon IV Expression through the VPAC1 Receptor in the Amphibian Melanotrope Cell
Endocrinology, August 1, 2008; 149(8): 4177 - 4182.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 EndocrinologyHome page
C. Bergwitz, P. Klein, H. Kohno, S. A. Forman, K. Lee, D. Rubin, and H. Juppner
Identification, Functional Characterization, and Developmental Expression of Two Nonallelic Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)/PTH-Related Peptide Receptor Isoforms in Xenopus laevis (Daudin)
Endocrinology, February 1, 1998; 139(2): 723 - 732.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.