The regenerating (Reg) genes have been associated with tissue repair and have been directly implicated in pancreatic beta-cell regeneration. Peptide administration of INGAP, a hamster Reg3, can reverse hyperglycaemia in rodents and stimulate new beta-cell growth in human epithelial cultures. / New Reg genes in rats and hamsters were identified using homology reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with degenerate Reg3 primers and selected products were further sequenced using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). This method resulted in no novel rat Regs, although a putative rat INGAP with 65% identity to the mouse INGAP protein was discovered by a BLAST homology search of the rat genome. The putative rat INGAP protein was shorter than both mouse and hamster INGAP and a mRNA transcript could not be amplified by PCR. It is thus concluded that this rat homologue of INGAP is a pseudogene. / Homology RT-PCR did, however, result in the discovery of a new hamster Reg3 gene of 765 nucleotides (nt) that encodes a 174 amino acid (aa) protein. This protein sequence was identified as a novel hamster Reg3gamma with 78% and 75% identity to the rat Reg3gamma and mouse Reg3gamma protein, respectively. The hamster Reg1 gene coding region was fully sequenced from a reported partial sequence using RACE to yield a 756 nt transcript that encodes a deduced 173 aa protein. This protein was identified as hamster Reg2, rather than Reg1 as was initially reported, with an 81% identity to mouse Reg2. / Mice and hamsters are the only species known to carry either of the functional INGAP or Reg2 genes. It remains to be determined whether these genes bestow mice and hamsters with special regenerative abilities in the pancreas.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99327 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Castellarin, Mauro. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Division of Surgical Research.) |
| Rights | © Mauro Castellarin, 2006 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002562327, proquestno: AAIMR28472, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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