Molecular Cloning and Expression Analysis of Pig Cd90

Abstract

The CD90 (Thy-1) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored glycoprotein that transfers signals involved in many biological events including cell activation, cell migration, cell adhesion, and tumor suppression. In this study, we cloned pig CD90 cDNA and determined its complete cDNA sequence. Pig CD90 cDNA contained an open reading frame (486 bp) encoding 161 amino acids with three putative N-glycosylation sites and four well-conserved cysteine residues, which form a possible disulfide bond within the extracellular domain among mammalian species. Pig CD90 mRNA was detected in various tissues, indicating the multicellular functions of CD90 in pigs. Flow cytometry analyses demonstrated that anti-human CD90 antibody recognizes a pig CD90 on the cell surface. Moreover, immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that CD90 expression is widely diffused in several pig tissues. Further studies will be necessary to define the functional contribution of CD90 during specific infectious diseases in pigs.