Louise Walsh

Structure and chromosomal location of mouse and human CD52 genes.

Human CD52 (CAMPATH-1 antigen) is an abundant surface molecule on lymphocytes and a favoured target for lymphoma therapy and immunosuppression. It comprises a small glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored peptide to which a large carbohydrate moiety is attached. Structurally similar proteins include the proposed mouse homologue, B7 antigen (B7-Ag; not to be confused with the CD28 ligand), and human and mouse CD24. Sequence similarities between CD52 and B7-Ag precursors are concentrated over the signal peptides and the sequences cleaved during GPI attachment. While the short mature peptides are not apparently homologous, the N-linked glycosylation site is retained in both. We describe similarities in exon-intron organisation, syntenic chromosome positions (human CD52, 1p36; mouse B7-Ag, chromosome 4, between Dsil and D4Nds16) and sequence homology in the promoter regions which strongly suggests that B7-Ag is the mouse homologue of CD52. The structure of these genes is also similar to that of mouse CD24, suggesting a common ancestor. Promoter activities and transcription start sites were also analysed. These results suggest that human CD52 and mouse B7-Ag gene expressions are controlled by TATA-less promoters.

High Level Transcription of the Complement Regulatory Protein CD59 Requires an Enhancer Located in Intron 1

CD59 is a complement regulatory protein and may also act as a signal-transducing molecule. CD59 transgenic mice have been generated using a CD59 minigene (CD59minigene-1). Although this minigene contained a 4.6-kilobase pair 5′-flanking region from the human CD59 gene as a promoter, the expression levels of the CD59 mRNA were substantially lower than those observed in humans, suggesting that CD59 gene expression might also require other transcriptional regulatory elements such as an enhancer. To investigate the transcriptional regulation of the CD59 gene, we used three cell lines that express CD59 at different levels. We have identified DNase I-hypersensitive sites in intron 1 in HeLa cells, which express CD59 at high levels, but not in Jurkat (intermediate level) or Raji cells (low level). Furthermore, cell line-specific enhancer activity was detected in a fragment containing these DNase I-hypersensitive sites. The CD59 enhancer was mapped to between −1155 and −888 upstream of the 5′-end of exon 2. To investigate the enhancer activity in vivo, a newCD59 minigene was constructed by the addition of the enhancer fragment into CD59 minigene-1. High expressor CD59 transgenic mice were generated using the new minigene.