Analysis of gene structures and promoter activities of the chipmunk alpha(1)-antitrypsin-like genes.

The chipmunk hibernation-specific protein HP-55 is a component of a 140-kDa complex whose levels are drastically decreased in the blood during hibernation. It is highly homologous to alpha(1)-antitrypsin (AT). In the chipmunk, several alpha(1)-AT-like genes in addition to HP-55 (or CM55-ML) are expressed in the liver and have distinct patterns of regulation during hibernation: in hibernating chipmunks, the level of CM55-ML gene expression is greatly reduced, that of the CM55-MS gene is slightly increased, and the expression of the CM55-MM gene is hardly affected.