Efficient expression of tum- antigen P91A by transfected subgenic fragments.

Mutagen treatment of mouse P815 tumor cells produces immunogenic mutants that express new transplantation antigens (tum- antigens) recognized by cytolytic T cells. The gene encoding tum- antigen P91A comprises 12 exons and a mutation located in exon 4 is responsible for the production of a new antigenic peptide. Transfection experiments showed that the expression of the antigen could be transferred not only by the entire gene but also by gene segments comprising only the mutated exon and parts of the surrounding introns.

cDNA cloning, characterization, and brain region-specific expression of a neuromedin-B-preferring bombesin receptor.

Recent binding studies in the central nervous system and other tissues provide evidence that the mammalian bombesin-like peptides, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and neuromedin-B (NMB), exert their numerous physiological effects through at least two different receptors. We describe the structure and expression of a cloned NMB-preferring bombesin receptor (NMB-R) with properties distinct from a GRP-preferring bombesin receptor (GRP-R) reported previously. In particular, the NMB-R shows higher affinity binding to NMB than to GRP in BALB 3T3 fibroblasts expressing the cloned NMB-R.

Neuromedin B and gastrin-releasing peptide mRNAs are differentially distributed in the rat nervous system.

The bombesin-like peptides are a family of structurally related amidated peptide ligands that are known to have a variety of potent pharmacological actions on various cells, including neurons in the rat brain. Two mammalian representatives of the bombesin family of peptides have been identified, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and neuromedin B (NMB). Previously, we cloned the rat preproGRP gene and determined the locations of neurons expressing this gene using in situ hybridization.

Structural characterization of a brain-specific promoter region directing transcription of the rat prepro-gastrin-releasing peptide gene.

Expression of the mammalian prepro-gastrin-releasing peptide (preproGRP) gene has been shown to be restricted to neural and neuroendocrine cell types. In this paper, the structure and nucleotide sequence of the rat preproGRP gene coding regions and promoter is described and analyzed. The gene is divided into 3 exons, encoding a signal sequence, the 29 amino acid rat GRP, and a 92 amino acid extension peptide.

Distribution of two distinct messenger ribonucleic acids encoding gastrin-releasing peptide in rat brain.

There are two distinct mRNAs that encode the precursor to gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) in rat brain. These two messages arise from separate transcription initiation sites located approximately 400 base pairs apart, which are presumably regulated by separate promoters. In the present study, we mapped the distribution of neurons containing GRP mRNAs by in situ hybridization using cRNA and synthetic DNA probes specific for the 1.