Cloning, sequencing and localization to chromosome 11 of a cDNA encoding a human opioid-binding cell adhesion molecule (OBCAM).

Oligodeoxyribonucleotide (oligo) primers derived from rat opioid-binding cell adhesion molecule (OBCAM)-encoding cDNA sequence were used to amplify a 403-bp fragment from a human brain cDNA library using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The fragment was cloned, sequenced and used as a hybridization probe to screen the library. lambda plaque clones were isolated which contained a 1.5-kb cDNA fragment, including a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 1038 bp. Sequence analysis of the ORF revealed 93% identity to the rat OBCAM cDNA at the nucleotide level, and the deduced amino-acid sequences shared 98% identity. Percentages of identity between human and bovine OBCAM ORFs were within 2% of these values. OBCAM was mapped to human chromosome 11 by hybridizing the probe with a somatic cell hybrid panel.