Intracisternal A-particle genes: structure of adjacent genes and mapping of the boundaries of the transcriptional unit

Abstract

Adjacent intracisternal A-particle (IAP) genes were identified in two different recombinant DNA clones, gamma 81 and gamma 19. In clone gamma 81, the most common form of IAP gene was separated by 5.3 kilobases from another IAP gene that had two apparent internal deletions. The two genes were in a head-to-tail configuration. In clone gamma 19, two different types of IAP genes were separated by less than 0.5 kilobase. Blot hybridization analysis of mouse DNA demonstrated that the DNA sequence found in clone gamma 81 is identical to the in vivo configuration. Using isolated DNA fragments from clone gamma 19, we mapped the boundaries of the IAP RNA by S1 digestion of RNA-DNA hybrids and by cDNA extension. With these techniques, both the 5' end and the 3' end of the IAP RNA in two different plasmacytomas (MOPC 315 and TEPC 15) were shown to fall within the long terminal direct repeat of the IAP gene. The fragment sizes generated by S1 digestion of IAP RNAs isolated from the two tumor lines were found to differ, indicating that different IAP genes may be transcribed in these two plasmacytomas.