Human Interleukin 2 Receptor β-Chain Gene: Chromosomal Localization and Identification of 5' Regulatory Sequences

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 87; no. 9; pp. 3440 - 3444
• Main Authors: Gnarra, James R., Otani, Hiroki, Wang, Mary Ge, McBride, O. Wesley, Sharon, Michael, Leonard, Warren J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.05.1990; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Base Sequence; Blotting, Southern; chromosome 22; Chromosome Banding; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22; Complementary DNA; DNA; DNA probes; Exons; Gene Library; Genes; Genomic Library; Genomics; Humans; Hybridity; Karyotyping; Macromolecular Substances; Molecular Sequence Data; Nucleic acid hybridization; Oligonucleotide Probes; Promoter Regions, Genetic; promoters; Receptors; Receptors, Interleukin-2 - genetics; Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Restriction Mapping; T lymphocytes
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.87.9.3440

Interleukin 2 (IL-2) binds to and stimulates activated T cells through high-affinity IL-2 receptors (IL-2Rs). Such receptors represent a complex consisting of at least two proteins, the 55-kDa IL-2Rα chain and the 70-kDa IL-2Rβ chain. The low-affinity, IL-2Rα chain cannot by itself transduce a mitogenic signal, whereas IL-2 stimulates resting lymphocytes through the intermediate-affinity, IL-2Rβ receptor. We report here identification of the genomic locus for IL-2Rβ. The exons are contained on four EcoRI fragments of 1.1,9.2, 7.2, and 13.7 kilobases. The 1.1-kilobase EcoRI fragment lies at the 5'-most end of the genomic locus and contains promoter sequences. The promoter contains no TATA box-like elements but does contain the d(GT)nclass of middle repetitive elements, which may play an interesting regulatory role. The IL-2Rβ gene is localized to chromosome 22q11.2-q12, a region that is the locus for several lymphoid neoplasias.