STRUCTURE OF THE MOUSE MYELIN-P2 PROTEIN GENE

Myelin P2 protein is a small (14,800 Da) protein found in peripheral and central nervous system myelin. To investigate the regulation of expression of this myelin protein, a mouse genomic library was screened with a rabbit P2 cDNA (pSN2.2-2), and a single positive phage clone containing a 20-kb insert was obtained. This insert contained a single internal SalI restriction site and several EcoRI sites. The EcoRI fragments from this insert were subcloned into Bluescript. The rabbit P2 cDNA (pSN2.2-2) hybridized with a 4-kb EcoRI fragment, and this 4-kb fragment was then sequenced after the creation of nested deletions. The mouse gene contained four exons: exon 1 coded for amino acids 1-24, exon 2 for amino acids 24-81, exon 3 for amino acids 82-115, and exon 4 for amino acids 116-131. The three introns were 1.2 kb, 150 bp, and 1.3 kb in length. Primer extension analysis revealed two transcription start sites at +1 and +47, consistent with the presence of two P2 mRNAs, with the larger transcript appearing more abundant. The amino acid sequences predicted from the mouse DNA indicate that the mouse protein differs from the rabbit protein at 16 different positions, with most of the differences located in exon 3. When the gene structure of fatty acid binding protein (FABP) genes were compared, the P2 gene had the same overall structure as others in the FABP family, suggesting a common ancestral gene for members of this family. The 5'-flanking region contains candidate TATA and CAAT sequences, as well as two AP-1 binding sites that may be important in modulation of the expression of this gene.