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Isolation and characterization of xnov, a Xenopus laevis ortholog of the chicken nov gene
We have isolated an ortholog (
xnov) of the chicken
nov gene (for nephroblastoma overexpressed; encoding a putative avian proto-oncogene) from
Xenopus laevis (X1) by screening an
Xl ovary cDNA library and genomic library using the entire coding region of human
CTGF (encoding connective tissue growth factor) as a probe and by 5′RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends).
xnov has the same genomic organization as chicken
nov, mouse
fisp12 and
cyr61, but has a unique promoter sequence. The
Xl open reading frame (ORF) encodes a 343-amino-acid (aa) polypeptide of 37.9 kDa. Xnov shows 62.9, 60.5, 52.2, 52.1, 47.6 and 45.8% identity with the chicken Nov, human NovH, human CTGF, mouse Fispl2, chicken Cef10 and mouse Cyr61 proteins, respectively. Xnov contains four aa domains which characterize the CTGF family. RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) analysis shows that the
xnov mRNA is very low in abundance and appears to be present throughout early
Xl development. Our results also indicate that
xnov and
nov are not orthologs of human
CTG