A cDNA encoding the vitamin D-dependent rat intestinal calcium-binding protein has been isolated by screening a rat intestinal cDNA library. The cDNA is 406 nucleotides long and appears to contain all the sequences of the mRNA. The cDNA includes the entire protein coding region. It consists of 237 nucleotides coding for 79 amino acids, including the starting methionine, flanked by 62 and 107 noncoding nucleotides at the 5' and 3' ends, respectively. Using the cloned cDNA, we have isolated a genomic clone from a rat liver genomic library. Restriction mapping and Southern analysis using synthetic oligonucleotides localized the gene to a 4.0-kilobase-pair HindIII fragment.The mechanism of action of vitamin D apparently follows a pattern similar to that of the other steroid hormones. This involves the binding of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3], the hormonal form of the vitamin, to a highaffinity, low-abundance, intracellular receptor (1), localization of the receptor-ligand complex in the nucleus (2), and the subsequent interaction of the complex with some specific sites on the chromatin, resulting in gene activation (3)(4)(5) The isolation and sequencing of a full-length cDNA is required for a determination of the gene structure and for a study of the mechanism of its regulation. In addition, it has a valuable potential use in a study of the function of CaBP in the intestine. A partial nucleotide sequence of the rat ICaBP cDNA and partial amino acid sequence have been reported (8). MacManus et al. have reported a complete ICaBP amino acid sequence from a purified protein (9). However, this sequence lacked the starting methionine residue at the amino terminus. The missing methionine was detected when an amino-terminal peptide obtained from the product of in vitro translation of the intestinal mRNA was sequenced (10). No larger precursor for the protein has been detected in vivo or in vitro.In the present work we report the isolation of a full-length rat ICaBP cDNA and determination of its nucleotide sequence. The primary structure of the protein is also described. A genomic recombinant clone that contains the rat ICaBP gene has also been isolated.t
MATERIALS AND METHODScDNA Library Screening for Rat ICaBP. A cDNA library in XgtlO was prepared by using mRNA from the intestine of rats dosed with 1,25-(OH)2D3 12 hr before sacrifice (5). To screen the library, phage were plated on Escherichia coli strain C600HFL. Hybridization was performed with two probes on duplicate filters. The first probe was a 160-base-pair (bp) cDNA fragment representing the 3' end of the ICaBP cDNA and nick-translated with [a-32P]dCTP (3000 Ci/mmol, Amersham; 1 Ci = 37 GBq). The second probe was an oligonucleotide, matching the first 20 nucleotides of the 5' end of the published partial sequence (8) 5'-end-labeled with polynucleotide kinase (New England Biolabs) and [a-32P]ATP (5000 Ci/mmol, Amersham). Hybridization and washing conditions using the 160-bp cDNA probe were as previously described (5). When the oligonucleotide was u...