Cloning and Characterization of the Murine Genes for bHLH-ZIP Transcription Factors TFEC and TFEB Reveal a Common Gene Organization for All MiT Subfamily Members
1999; Elsevier BV; Volume: 56; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1006/geno.1998.5588
ISSN1089-8646
AutoresMichael Rehli, Nicole den Elzen, A. Ian Cassady, Michael C. Ostrowski, David Hume,
Tópico(s)Retinal Development and Disorders
ResumoThe microphthalmia-TFE (MiT) subfamily of basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLH-ZIP) transcription factors, including TFE3, TFEB, TFEC, and Mitf, has been implicated in the regulation of tissue-specific gene expression in several cell lineages. In this report, we investigate the genomic organization and structural relatedness of MiT transcription factors. We characterized the gene for mTFEC, which covers a region of more than 50 kb and is composed of seven exons. Further, we cloned a cDNA for the murine TFEB homologue and characterized its genomic structure. The eight coding exons of mTFEB are distributed over a 6-kb region. A multiple alignment of amino acid sequences of known MiT subfamily members indicates undescribed, conserved N-terminal regions and common putative phosphorylation sites for TFE3, TFEB, and Mitf. Also, intron–exon borders for characterized MiT genes appear completely conserved. A new family member and closely related putative transcription factor inCaenorhabditis eleganswas identified by database searches that show a similar genomic organization within the bHLH-ZIP region and the acidic domain. Evolutionary aspects and implications for structure–function relationships are discussed.
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