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The CD44 molecule is known to display extensive size heterogeneity, which has been attributed both to alternative splicing and to differential glycosylation within the extracellular domain. Although the presence of several alternative exons has been partly inferred from cDNA sequencing, the precise intron-exon organization of the CD44 gene has not been described to date to our knowledge. In the present study we describe the structure of the human CD44 gene, which contains at least 19 exons spanning some 50 kilobases of DNA. We have identified 10 alternatively spliced exons within the extracellular domain, including 1 exon that has not been previously reported. In addition to the inclusion or exclusion of whole exons, more diversity is generated through the utilization of internal splice donor and acceptor sites within 2 of the individual exons. The variation previously reported for the cytoplasmic domain is shown to result from the alternative splicing of 2 exons. The genomic structure of CD44 reveals a remarkable degree of complexity, and we confirm the role of alternative splicing as the basis of the structural and functional diversity seen in the CD44 molecule.

Original publication

DOI

10.1073/pnas.89.24.12160

Type

Journal article

Journal

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Publication Date

15/12/1992

Volume

89

Pages

12160 - 12164

Keywords

Alternative Splicing, Amino Acid Sequence, Base Sequence, Cloning, Molecular, Cytoplasm, Genes, Humans, Introns, Molecular Sequence Data, Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing, Restriction Mapping