Characterization and localization of Mox2, the gene encoding the murine homolog of the rat MRC OX-2 membrane glycoprotein.

MRC OX-2 is a rat type I membrane glycoprotein and a member of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily that has recently been shown to be able to costimulate murine T cell proliferation (Borriello et al. J. Immunol, 158, 4548, 1997). We now report the genomic organization for the gene encoding the murine homolog of MRC OX-2 (Mox2). The gene is composed of 6 exons and 5 introns spanning a minimum of 13.7 kb. Exon 1 encodes the amino terminal four amino acids and is located in the center of a 500-bp CpG island, suggestive of the presence of a promoter. Analysis of the sequences immediately upstream of exon 1, however, do not reveal a TATA or CAAT box. We also demonstrate that in addition to the canonical transcript, composed of exons 1 through 6, this gene gives rise to an additional nonproductive transcript resulting from the absence of exon 2, which leads to a frameshift and premature translation termination. The ratio of these alternative transcripts is not regulated by mitogenic stimulation with ConA or LPS. The Mox2 gene maps to Chr 16, telomeric to the clustered T cell costimulatory molecules Cd80 and Cd86 (Reeves et al. Genomics in press).