Genomic organization and chromosomal localization of the mouse Bp3 gene, a member of the CD38/ADP-ribosyl cyclase family

Abstract

 The mouse Bp3 antigen is a variably glycosylated phosphatidylinositol-linked cell surface glycoprotein expressed on early B and T lineage cells, myeloid cells, intestinal epithelial cells, and a discrete population of reticular cells in peripheral lymphoid tissues. The deduced amino acid sequence of Bp3 cDNA shares significant similarity to human and mouse CD38 and molluscan ADP-ribosyl cyclase, enzymes that generate the calcium mobilizing agent cyclic ADP-ribose from NAD. In this study, we cloned and characterized the Bp3 gene. The gene consists of nine exons and spans approximately 27 kilobases. The overall exon organization is very similar to that reported for the ADP-ribosyl cyclase gene in the mollusc Aplysia kurodai. The Bp3 gene is located on mouse chromosome 5 very near the gene for CD38, suggesting that this family arose by gene duplication. The major transcriptional start site of the Bp3 gene in a pro-B cell line (–17 from the ATG start codon) contains a weak initiator sequence. The upstream region lacks a TATA box, but contains consensus recognition sequences for the PU.1, Ikaros/LyF-1, E2A, and TCF-1 transcriptional factors that regulate gene expression in lymphoid and myeloid cells. Consensus motifs for cytokine responsive factors NF-IL6/C-EBP, H-APF-1/APRF, and AP-1 are also present in the flanking region, and interleukin-6 treatment enhances expression of the Bp3 antigen by a myeloblastoid cell line.