Characterization of the mouse gene encoding phospholipid transfer protein.

The mouse gene encoding phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) was cloned from 129/SvJ lambdaFIX(R) II library and characterized for the first time. It is comprised of 16 exons separated by 15 introns. Its gene organization strikingly resembles that encoding the human PLTP; the exon-intron junctions in these two genes are completely conserved. Sequencing analysis reveals that the putative promoter of mouse PLTP gene consists of a TATA-box, a high GC region, and several consensus sequences for the binding of transcription factors. Within the first 200 bp of the 5\u27-flanking region, the mouse and human PLTP genes share 81.1% identity of nt sequences and contain the consensus sequences for the transcription factors AP-2 and Sp1 at the same locations