• Gene encoding the collagen type I and thrombospondin receptor CD36 is located on chromosome 7q11.2.

      Fernández-Ruiz, Elena; Armesilla, Angel; Sánchez-Madrid, Francisco; Vega, Miguel A. (Elsevier BV, 1993)
      The human CD36 is a member of a gene family of structurally related glycoproteins and functions as a receptor for collagen type I and thrombospondin. CD36 also binds to red blood cells infected with the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. In the present study, the CD36 gene was assigned to chromosome 7 by using the polymerase chain reaction with DNA from human-hamster somatic cell hybrids. Furthermore, the use of a CD36 genomic probe has allowed the localization of the CD36 locus to the 7q11.2 band by fluorescence in situ hybridization coupled with GTG-banding.
    • Structural organization of the gene for human CD36 glycoprotein

      Armesilla, Angel; Vega, Miguel A. (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1994-07-22)
      The cell-surface glycoprotein CD36 interacts with a large variety of ligands, including collagen types I and IV, thrombospondin, erythrocytes parasitized with Plasmodium falciparum, platelet-agglutinating protein p37, oxidized low density lipoprotein, and long-chain fatty acids. Its expression is restricted to platelets, monocytes, adipocytes, and some endothelial and epithelial cells and is regulated during cell activation, differentiation, and development. CD36 belongs to a novel gene family of structurally related glycoproteins that includes CLA-1 and the lysosomal membrane glycoprotein LIMPII. To advance our knowledge on the genomic organization and the regulation of the cellular expression of the genes of this family, we have investigated the structural organization of the human CD36 gene and of its 5'-proximal flanking region. The CD36 gene is encoded by 15 exons that extend more than 32 kilobases on the human genome. Interestingly, the CD36 mRNA 5'-untranslated region is encoded by three exons. The 3'-untranslated region is contained in two exons, whose expression pattern can originate two mRNA forms. The cytoplasmic and transmembrane regions predicted at both terminal ends of the polypeptide chain are encoded by single exons, while the extracellular domain is encoded by 11 exons. The transcription initiation site of the CD36 gene is located 289 nucleotides upstream from the translational start codon. Sequence analysis of the proximal 5'-flanking region of the gene reveals the existence of a TATA box appropriately located with respect to the transcription initiation site and several potential cis-regulatory elements that might contribute to the transcriptional regulation of the CD36 gene. Delineation of the structural organization of the CD36 gene may help in defining the boundaries of relevant structural and/or functional domains in CD36 and, by extension, in the other members of the family.