Nucleotide sequences of reptile calcitonins: Their high homology to chicken calcitonin

Abstract

The calcitonin genes of four species of reptiles (Reeve's turtle, rat snake, grass lizard, and spectacled caiman) were amplified from the genomic DNA, as well as from the mRNA of the ultimobranchial glands of the former three species, by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, and were sequenced. Among several primer sets, only one primer set synthesized from the chicken calcitonin gene was compatible with those of the reptiles. The nucleotide sequences of the reptile calcitonin genes were highly homologous with that of chicken calcitonin (100% for turtle, 99% for caiman, 96% for lizard and 93% for snake). The products amplified from mRNA by the RT-PCR method matched completely those from genomic DNA in the turtle, snake and lizard.