New World, but not Old World, monkeys carry several genes encoding beta-microseminoprotein

: Makinen M, Valtonen-Andre V, Lundwall A

Publisher: BLACKWELL SCIENCE LTD

: 1999

: European Journal of Biochemistry

: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY

: EUR J BIOCHEM

: 264

: 2

: 407

: 414

: 8

: 0014-2956

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1432-1327.1999.00614.x

It was shown by Southern hybridization that cotton-top tamarin and common marmoset, New World monkeys, carry three or more genes encoding beta-microseminoprotein, also known as PSP94 In contrast, the genomes of Old World monkeys, as represented by rhesus macaque and sacred baboon, contain a single gene. Clones containing three different genes encoding beta-microseminoprotein were isolated from a cotton-top tamarin genomic library. They carry two complete genes of four exons and a third gene lacking the first exon. The structure suggests that the three genes are functionally active and give rise to transcripts that are approximate to 86% similar in sequence. By sequencing one gene in full, it was shown that the introns carry an excess of interspersed repeats, on average 29% of the introns consist of Alu repeats. A phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the genes probably arose in New World monkeys after the separation from Old World primates.