Title : The cDNA structure of rat
plasma kallikrein
Abstract :
- From a liver cDNA library we have isolated and characterized the cDNA encoding rat plasma kallikrein
- The cDNA structure contains 2,456 nucleotides with a 2,082-nucleotide-long open reading frame
- Protein sequence data suggest that the signal peptide is 19 amino acids long
- This results in a mature plasma prekallikrein containing 619 amino acids
- Determination of tissue distributions using Northern blot analysis (3.0-kb transcript) and the polymerase chain-reaction methodology on RNA preparations demonstrated that in the rat the liver is the main source of this enzyme
- Southern blots suggested the presence of a single gene coding for rat plasma kallikrein
- Finally, although Southern blots revealed a homologous gene in mouse, the mRNA corresponding to the mouse hepatic proteinase is barely detectable on Northern blots, suggesting inefficient transcription or high turnover of the mRNA in this species