Isolation and characterization of chondrolectin (Chodl), a novel C-type lectin predominantly expressed in muscle cells.

In this study, we identified and characterized the mouse orthologue of the human chondrolectin gene, Chodl. Chodl is located at chromosome 16C3 and consists of six exons and five introns. The putative full-length mouse cDNA of Chodl consists of 2393 bp, with an open reading frame of 839 bp, 243 bp of 5' untranslated region and 1310 bp of 3' untranslated region. The predicted Chodl protein is a type I transmembrane protein containing one carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of C-type lectin in its extracellular portion and shares a significant similarity (45%) with layilin, a hyaluronan receptor. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and subsequent Southern blotting analysis revealed that in adult mice, Chodl is preferentially expressed in skeletal muscle, testis, brain, and lung. Analysis of the embryonic expression of Chodl showed that during gestation (embryonic day (E) 7-15) its expression is up-regulated. In situ hybridization on E15 mouse embryo revealed that Chodl is expressed in muscle cells of heterogeneous origin, including those from tongue, trunk, and tail. Furthermore, fluorescent immunostaining on limbs of newborn mice, localized the Chodl protein to striated muscle cells. Finally, Western blot analysis demonstrated expression of Chodl protein during the proliferation as well as differentiation phases of the myoblastic C2C12 cell line.