The 66-kDa neurofilament protein (NF-66): sequence analysis and evolution.

A 2.5 kb cDNA clone encoding the mouse 66 kd neurofilament protein (NF-66) was isolated and sequenced. The deduced protein sequence contains 501 amino acid residues. Comparison of the mouse, rat and human NF-66 indicated > 90% homology in protein sequence and 85% homology in coding nucleotide sequence. A high degree of homology was observed between NF-66 and other intermediate filament proteins especially in the alpha-helical domain. Zooblot analyses suggested that the putative ancestral gene for vimentin and NF-66 was detectable in the avian. By comparison, the ancestral sequence for GFAP appeared after that for vimentin.