Full length cDNA cloning and expression analysis of calmodulin gene from deer antler tissue

Calmodulin (cam) is an important signal transduction molecules in organisms,it plays important regulatory roles in various cellular physiological activities,especially the regulation in cell proliferation. in the present study,full length cdna of cam gene was isolated from full-length cdna library of velvet antler tip tissue of sika deer (cervus nippon hortulorum); the amino acid sequence and gene expression was analyzed by using bioinformatics method and real-time rt-pcr technique. nucleotide sequence analysis reveals that the full-length cdna of cam gene comprised of 703 bp,containing 462 bp in the open reading frame (orf),its relative molecular weight was 16.9 kda,isoelectric point was 4.09. sequence analysis indicates that the protein,like most animals and plants cam,includes two basic ef-hand structures. expression analysis by real-time quantitative rt-pcr reveals that cam gene has a higher expression level in antler skin layer than in reserve mesenchyme layer,precartilage layer and cartilage layer,indicating that this gene may play a regulatory role in rapid growth of antler skin. copyright 2012 zoological society of pakistan.