Cloning, sequencing of bone morphogenetic protein from sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus.

Abstract

A cDNA coding for bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) homolog of the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, was isolated from mid-gastrula using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. The 2314 nucleotide sequence contains a 1383 open reading frame corresponding to a translation product of 461 amino acids. Comparison of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence with BMP isolated from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (SpBMP5-7; accession No. Z48313) shows a high degree of conservation. HpBMP seems to belong to the 60A subgroup as a result. A mRNA coding H. pulcherrimus BMP (HpBMP) was not detected in the unfertilized egg, but it was detected from blastula to prism stages.