Cloning and sequencing of cDNAs encoding the actin cross-linking protein transgelin defines a new family of actin-associated proteins.

We have used degenerate oligonucleotides, derived from the amino acid sequence of transgelin peptides [Shapland et al., 1993: J. Cell Biol. 121:1065-1073], to isolate and sequence overlapping cDNA clones encoding this actin gelling protein. Primers with 5' restriction enzyme sites directed against the N and C terminal amino acids present in these clones were then used to amplify and clone the entire transgelin coding region from reverse transcribed rat small intestine cDNA (RT-PCR). These studies have shown that transgelin is the product of a single gene which is conserved between yeast, Drosophila, molluscs, and humans. Transgelin is expressed as a single message that is regulated at the level of transcription in SV40 transformed 3T3 cells. Our data have shown that transgelin and several other proteins of unknown function, SM22 alpha [Pearlstone et al., 1987: J. Biol. Chem. 262:5985-5991], mouse p27 [Almendral et al., 1989: Exp. Cell Res. 181:518-530], and human WS3-10 [Thweatt et al., 1992: Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 187:1-7], share extensive homology. More limited regions of homology shared between transgelin and other proteins such as rat NP25 (unpublished), chicken calponins alpha and beta [Takahashi and Nadal-Ginard, 1991: J. Biol. Chem. 266:13284-13288], and Drosophila mp20 [Ayme-Southgate et al., 1989: J. Cell Biol. 108:521-531] suggest that all of these proteins may be classified as members of a new transgelin multigene family.