利用GenBank数据库中Nodal分子的核酸和蛋白相关信息,采用生物信息学方法分析Nodal的分子生物学特征及其剪接异构体.应用基因克隆方法克隆人Nodal基因.结果表明Nodal基因至少有四种剪接异构体,除研究较清楚的isoform 1相对完整外,其它剪接异构体信息并不完整、功能未知且表达可能有组织特异性.特别是虽然Nodal基因isoform 1的氨基酸编码序列已知,但是发现目前NCBI提供的Nodal基因mRNA参考序列并不完整.通过基因克隆发现一种新的Nodal基因剪接异构体,它可能具有TGF-β超家族的特征性结构,但功能未知.结果说明人Nodal基因可能至少存在5种剪接异构体,除isoform 1外,其它isoform具体功能还有待进一步研究.
By use of the relevant information about nucleic acid and protein of Nodal molecules in GenBank,and the bioinformatics methods are adopted to the analysis of the biological features of Nodal molecule and its splicing isoforms and the gene cloning method is used to clone the human Nodal gene.The results show that the Nodal gene has at least four splicing iso-forms.Of the four forms,only Isoform 1 is relatively complete and is clearly studied;information concerning the other forms is incomplete and their functions are not known and there might exist tissue specificity in expression;in particular,though the coding sequences of the amino acids of isoform 1 is known,yet it is found that the mRNA reference sequence Nodal gene of-fered by NCBI is not complete.Through gene cloning,a new splicing isoform is found for the Nodal gene,which might pos-sess the typical structure of TGF-βsuperfamily,yet its functions remain unclear.The results indicate that the human Nodal gene has at least 5 splicing isoforms;except for isoform 1 ,the other four are in need of further examination.