Molecular Cloning and Expression of Biologically Active Human Glia Maturation Factor‐β

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Abstract
Glia maturation factor-β, a protein found in the brains of all vertebrates thus far examined, appears to play a role in the differentiation, maintenance, and regeneration of the nervous system. Using oligonucleotide probes based on the sequences of three tryptic peptides derived from bovine glia maturation factor-β, we screened a human brainstem cDNA library in δll. A 0.7-kb clone was isolated, sequenced in its entirety, and found to encode a polypeptide of 142 amino acids which contained regions identical to the three bovine peptides. This polypeptide, human recombinant glia maturation factor-β, has been expressed in Escherichia coli and found to possess structural characteristics and biological activity indistinguishable from those of the native bovine protein.