Molecular Characterization of the Mouse p47-phox (Ncf1) Gene and Comparative Analysis of the Mouse p47-phox (Ncf1) Gene to the Human NCF1 Gene

The cytosolic factor p47-phox (NCF1) is a key component of the phagocyte NADPH-oxidase system, critical for microbicidal activity. The human p47-phox gene has been well characterized and resides on chromosome 7q11. Here we describe the molecular characterization of the mouse ortholog (Ncf1), which maps to distal chromosome 5, and compare the structure of the genes, commenting on the degree of homology. The mouse and human genes contain the same number of exons and introns, but the mouse gene is more compact (7.8 kb versus 15.2 kb). A percentage identity plot analysis comparing the human and mouse genes indicates that sequence homology is generally restricted to exons and does not include any large segment of introns or the 5′ flanking sequence. The mouse gene also contains notably fewer repetitive elements than its human counterpart (34% versus 50%). The start of transcription of the mouse gene has been localized to within 12 nucleotides of the translation start site, similar to the human ortholog. Our findings provide an important foundation for investigating the evolutionary history of the p47-phox gene, particularly as it relates to understanding the molecular basis of the p47-phox-deficient autosomal recessive form of chronic granulomatous disease.