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Remarkable conservation of structure among intermediate filament genes.
Using a cloned cDNA complementary to a portion of the mRNA for the 50 kd human epidermal keratin, we have screened a human genomic library and have isolated and sequenced the gene encoding this keratin. A comparison of the keratin gene with the very distantly related vimentin gene has enabled us to explore the relation between the evolutionary conservation of structure in intermediate filament (IF) subunits and the conservation of structure in IF genes. Our results reveal that not only the secondary structure of the IF proteins, but also the structural skeleton of their genes, has been maintained throughout evolution. These characteristics have persisted despite considerable flexibility in both protein and nucleic acid sequence. Surprisingly, although the positions of the introns within these two genes are highly conserved, they do not seem to correspond to the boundaries of the structural domains common to all IF subunits.
PMID: 6210150 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Cited by 46 PubMed Central articles
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The nonhelical tail domain of keratin 14 promotes filament bundling and enhances the mechanical properties of keratin intermediate filaments in vitro.
Bousquet O, Ma L, Yamada S, Gu C, Idei T, Takahashi K, Wirtz D, Coulombe PA.
J Cell Biol. 2001 Nov 26; 155(5):747-54. Epub 2001 Nov 26.
[J Cell Biol. 2001]
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Forced expression of keratin 16 alters the adhesion, differentiation, and migration of mouse skin keratinocytes.
Wawersik M, Coulombe PA.
Mol Biol Cell. 2000 Oct; 11(10):3315-27.
[Mol Biol Cell. 2000]
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McGowan KM, Coulombe PA.
J Cell Biol. 1998 Oct 19; 143(2):469-86.
[J Cell Biol. 1998]
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