Cloning, analysis, and chromosomal localization of Notch-1, a mouse homolog of Drosophila Notch.

The Notch gene of Drosophila encodes a large transmembrane protein involved in cell-cell interactions and cell fate decisions in the Drosophila embryo. We report here the isolation of cDNA clones encompassing the full-length coding sequence of Notch-1, a mouse homolog of Drosophila Notch. The predicted amino acid sequence of the Notch-1 protein retains all of the conserved amino acid motifs of Notch and the other vertebrate Notch homologs. The cDNA sequence predicts a 2531-amino-acid protein containing a signal peptide, 36 epidermal growth factor-like repeats, 3 Notch/lin-12 repeats, a transmembrane domain, and 6 cdc10/ankyrin repeats. The Notch-1 gene was localized to the proximal portion of mouse chromosome 2 by mapping with an interspecific backcross panel.