Nucleotide sequence of the anemic pigeon alpha-globin gene. Structural rearrangements in the cloned cDNA.

Pigeon alpha-globin cDNA, previously cloned into the PstI site of pBR322 to yield pGP22 (Scobeleva et al., 1981), was mapped and sequenced. The insert was found to have an unusual structural organization, with 33 bp corresponding to the 5'-untranslated region of mRNA located roughly at the middle and flanked downstream by the 81 triplets coding for the N-terminal half of the alpha-globin chain. Moreover, 25 triplets identical to the 3'-terminal region of the insert were located upstream from the 5'-untranslated region and were followed by the coding sequence of 82 to 134 triplets. The last seven codons from 135 to 142 triplets were missing. The structural rearrangements in the cloned cDNA are discussed. The nucleotide sequence of alpha-globin mRNA from anemic pigeon was determined; it differs remarkably from those for chicken and duck, although homologies can easily be found. The predicted amino acid sequence of pigeon anemic alpha-globin is given.