cDNA, Genomic Sequence Cloning and Sequences Analysis of the fau Gene from the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Fau gene is the cellular homolog of the fox sequence in the Finkel-Biskis-Reilly murine sarcoma virus (FBR-MuSV). It encodes a fusion protein consisting of the ubiquitin-like protein FUBI at the N-terminus and ribosomal protein S30 at the C-terminus. Here we have cloned the cDNA and the genomic sequence of fau gene from the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) using RT-PCR technology and Touchdown-PCR, respectively. The length of of cDNA fragment cloned contains an open reading frame of 414 bp encoding 133 amino acids which estimated molecular weight of the fau is 14.4277 kDa with an isoelectric point (pI) of 10.17 and the length of the genomic sequence is 1143 bp, containing four exons and three introns. Alignment analysis revealed that the nucleotide sequence and the deduced protein sequence are highly conserved to other five species studied, including Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, Bos taurus, Sus scrofa, and Homo sapiens. The homologies for nucleotide sequences of giant panda fau to that of these species are 89.80%, 89.55%, 91.29%, 92.79%, and 91.79%, respectively, and the homologies for amino acid sequences are 96.99%, 97.74%, 96.99%, 98.50%, and 96.99%, respectively. Topology prediction showed that there are one cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site, two Protein kinase C phosphorylation sites, four Casein kinase II phosphorylation sites, and one Amidation site in the fau protein of the giant panda.