The structure of a human neurofilament gene (NF-L): a unique exon-intron organization in the intermediate filament gene family.

We have cloned and determined the nucleotide sequence of the human gene for the neurofilament subunit NF-L. The cloned DNA contains the entire transcriptional unit and generates two mRNAs of approx. 2.6 and 4.3 kb after transfection into mouse L-cells. The NF-L gene has an unexpected intron-exon organization in that it entirely lacks introns at positions found in other members of the intermediate filament gene family. It contains only three introns that do not define protein domains. We discuss possible evolutionary schemes that could explain these results.