VILIP, A COGNATE PROTEIN OF THE RETINAL CALCIUM-BINDING PROTEINS VISININ AND RECOVERIN, IS EXPRESSED IN THE DEVELOPING CHICKEN BRAIN

Using a selective cloning approach we previously isolated a number of cDNAs of transcripts that are newly expressed during terminal differentiation of the chicken optic tectum. Here, we have characterized one of these cDNAs (OZ1) by Northern analysis and in situ hybridization. The OZ1 cDNA hybridizes to two transcripts of 1.6 kb and 2.9 kb which are widely expressed in the brain but not detectable in liver, heart or skeletal muscle. Cloning of overlapping cDNAs revealed that both transcripts encode the same open reading frame for a polypeptide of 191 amino acids. The deduced protein contains 4 EF-hand consensus motifs characteristic of calmodulin-like Ca2+-binding proteins. It displays 40% and 46% sequence identity with the retinal photoreceptor-specific Ca2+-binding proteins visinin and recoverin, respectively, and was termed VILIP (visinin-like protein). VILIP transcripts are also expressed in the retina. However, the expression pattern does not overlap with that of visinin or recoverin. The possible functional implications of the similarity to recoverin, which regulates guanylate cyclase activity of retinal rod cells in a Ca2+-dependent manner, are dicussed.