Molecular cloning and characterization of the mouse carboxyl ester lipase gene and evidence for expression in the lactating mammary gland.

DNA hybridization was used to isolate a 2.04-kb cDNA encoding carboxyl ester lipase (CEL) from a mouse lactating mammary gland, lambda gt10 cDNA library. The cDNA sequence translated into a protein of 599 amino acids, including 20 amino acids of a putative signal peptide. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of the mouse CEL with CEL from five other species revealed that there is a high degree of homology between the different species. The mouse CEL gene was also isolated and found to span approximately 7.2 kb and to include 11 exons. This organization is similar to those of the recently reported human and rat CEL genes. We have also analyzed expression of the CEL gene in the mammary glands from other species by performing a Northern blot analysis with RNA from goat and cow. The results show that the gene is expressed in both species.