Human biliary glycoprotein gene: characterization of a family of novel alternatively spliced RNAs and their expressed proteins.

Eight different human biliary glycoprotein (BGP) isoantigens, structurally related members of the carcinoembryonic antigen family, CD66/67 family, and immunoglobulin superfamily, are derived by alternative splicing from a single genomic transcription unit. Novel BGP isoforms have been identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification and by DNA sequencing of amplified cDNA segments. In addition to verifying previously documented BGPs, we describe four new forms, two of which have unusual nonimmunoglobulin exons contributed by inverted Alu repeats. Determination of the genomic DNA sequence encompassing most of the known extracellular and intracellular domains demonstrates that the translatable Alu-like sequences are encoded in bona fide exons. The third novel BGP isoform contains none of the extracellular disulfide-linked immunoglobulin-like domains typical of these molecules but retains N-terminal and intracellular domains, suggesting distinct functions for N-terminal versus other disulfide-linked domains. cDNAs coding for each identified isoform have been transfected into COS7 monkey cells, and the resulting polypeptides are heavily N glycosylated but can be deglycosylated to their expected primary sizes. Many of these deglycosylated forms can be correlated with unique patterns of BGP expression in different cell lines, while in granulocytes, some previously undescribed or alternatively modified forms may predominate. The BGP family represents a potentially large but unknown source of functional diversity among cells of epithelial and hematopoietic origin. The availability of a defined set of expressed of BGP cDNAs should permit critical definition of their function.

Characterization of two new members of the pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein family from the myeloid cell line KG-1 and suggestion of two distinct classes of transcription unit.

Pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoproteins (PSGs) represent a large group (approximately 12-15) of proteins, related to members of the carcinoembryonic antigen family, that are abundant in placental tissue and in the sera of pregnant women. We describe the isolation and characterization of two additional PSG cDNAs, PSG9 and PSG10, whose transcripts are largely expressed in placental tissue and to a lesser extent in some other cell types, including myeloid cells differentiated to granulocytes. PSG9 and PSG10 are representatives of two distinct classes of PSG protein that have N-termini with or without the Arg-Gly-Asp motif implicated in adhesion. In addition to this distinction at the amino acid level, our analysis of several PSG cDNAs suggests that the transcription units encoding these proteins may be further distinguished in their 3' untranslated sequences, thus suggesting possibilities for transcriptional regulation of the two major protein classes.

Human pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoproteins are coded within chromosome 19.

We have isolated and characterized cDNAs that code for apoproteins having amino acid sequences highly similar to pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoproteins (PS beta G). cDNAs coding for PS beta Gs, as well as the cDNA clone reported here, are members of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family. The previous localization of CEA-related genes to human chromosome 19, and the high level of DNA sequence conservation in the CEA family, suggested that the PS beta G genes are also located on this chromosome. We demonstrate here that chromosome 19 is indeed the site of PS beta G sequences. Our finding is in contrast to the recently reported indication that pregnancy-specific glycoproteins are encoded in chromosomes X and 6.