Molecular cloning of feline CC–chemokine cDNAs

cDNA clones of feline chemokines, MIP-1α, MIP-1β and RANTES, were molecularly isolated with the purpose of using these sequences for future investigation of the inhibitory effects on lentivirus entry and their role in immunological functions. The feline MIP-1α and MIP-1β cDNA clones spanned their entire coding regions encoding 93 and 92 amino acids, respectively. The amino acid sequences of feline MIP-1α and MIP-1β compared to those of their human, mouse and rat counterparts showed similarities of 75.3–79.6% and 73.9–88.0%, respectively. Feline MIP-1α and MIP-1β had four conserved cysteines with a structure made up of the first two cysteines that are characteristic of the CC–chemokine subfamily. The amino terminal of these MIP-1α and MIP-1β sequences was distinctly hydrophobic, suggesting that they may function as signal peptides. A partial cDNA clone consisting of 193 bp was obtained for feline RANTES, and it also showed a high degree of sequence similarity to those of other species and contained the characteristic structure made up of adjacent cysteines. These molecular clones of feline chemokines will be useful in the examination of their inhibitory effect on the cellular entry of feline immunodeficiency virus.