Characterization of the regulatory region of Adra2c, the gene encoding the murine alpha2C adrenoceptor subtype.

The 5' flanking sequence (3,227 base pairs, bp) of the mouse Adra2c subtype gene was determined and characterized. The transcription start site was mapped to nucleotide 'A' of two initiator motifs in tandem array, i.e.

Transient expression of Ym1, a heparin-binding lectin, during developmental hematopoiesis and inflammation.

Ym1, a secretory protein transiently produced by activated peritoneal macrophages elicited by parasitic infections, has been identified as a novel heparin-binding lectin. X-ray crystallography study revealed that Ym1 has a beta/alpha barrel structure with a carbohydrate-binding cleft similar to that of triose-phosphate isomerases. To further delineate the physiological significance of Ym1, we examined its expression patterns during mouse embryonic development and inflammation states elicited by agents other than parasitic infections in the peritoneal cavity and brain.