Comparative Nucleotide Sequence of Encoding for Quaking Protein of Birds and Mammals

Partial nucleotide sequences of eight kinds of bird (common crane, gray pelican, goose, black swan, bewisk s swan, whooper swan, ostrich, and chicken) gene encoding quaking protein were analyzed. Variously sized bands were observed in all eight birds compared with the same sized band in mammals based on nested PCR results, and all sequence data showed a very high level of homology. Three bases (CD223(Ala)) in exon 6 of all eight bird species were defective compared with sequence data from the mouse, and both the existence and defect of 24 bases (CD211 ~ 219) in exon 6 of the eight birds were confirmed on complementary DNA sequence analysis. These findings suggest that birds generate specific alternative sequencing data, there are many alternative splicing variants, and the avian quaking gene may be a specific marker differentiating between birds and mammals.