Cloning of a gene of the DEAD box protein family which is specifically expressed in germ cells in rats.

The cloning of a rat cDNA, RVLG, which encodes a novel protein of 713 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 77,953, is described. The putative RVLG protein shares amino acid domains that are conserved in the DEAD protein family. It is approximately 52% identical and 85% similar in amino acid sequence to the XVLG1, a product which we previously cloned from Xenopus ovaries, suggesting it is the homologue of XVLG1. The size of the mRNA for RVLG is 3.1kb and can be detected specifically in the gonads of male and female adult rats.