Complete nucleotide sequence of a cloned cDNA derived from the major adult -globin mRNA ofX. laevis

Abstract
The complete sequence of a cloned cDNA derived from the major adult α-globin mRNA of Xenopus laevis (the South African Clawed Toad) is presented. The sequence contains the complete coding and 3′ non-coding regions of the mRNA and part of the 5′ non-coding region. The amino acid sequence of the encoded α-globin polypeptide has been deduced and is compared to other α-globin polypeptides. We find that the sequence is equally diverged from a bullfrog tadpole α-globin polypeptide and human a-globin polypeptide suggesting that these three sequences may have diverged from a common ancestral sequence several hundred million years ago.