Abstract:
Nucleotidic sequences coding for the bovine adrenergic-β 3  receiver (RAβ 3 ), utilization of said sequences as probes and for the expression of peptides and/or fragments thereof having an activity of bovine RAβ 3 , vectors useful for said expression, as well as cellular hosts containing said vector. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies raised against said peptides and usable, particularly for the detection of bovine adrenergic-β 3  receivers, as well as method for screening substances, with agonist or antagonist action in relation to peptides having an adrenergic-β 3  receiver activity and kits for the detection of the affinity degrees of different substances for said peptides having an adrenergic-β 3  receiver activity. Transgenic and recombinant mice containing said nucleotidic sequence.

Description:
This application was filed as application PCT/FR94/00447 on Apr. 21, 1994, and it entered the national stage on Feb. 21, 1995. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to nucleotide sequences coding for the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor (ARβ 3 ), to the use of the said sequences as probes and for the expression of peptides and/or of fragments of the latter having bovine ARβ 3  activity, to the vector which is useful for the said expression and also to host cells containing the said vector. 
     The present invention also relates to a method for the screening of substances possessing an agonist or antagonist action with respect to peptides of bovine origin having β 3  -adrenergic receptor activity. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Catecholamines such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, synthetic agonists of these catecholamines which mimic their biological functions and antagonists which block these biological functions are known to exert their effects by binding to specific recognition sites (membrane receptors) located on the cell membranes. 
     Two main classes of adrenergic receptors have been defined, α-adrenergic receptors and β-adrenergic receptors. 
     In the set of these two classes, five subtypes of catecholamine receptors are now distinguished (α 1  -, α 2  -, β 1  -, β 2  - and β 3  -AR). Their genes have recently been isolated and identified (S. COTECCHIA et al., 1988, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85, 7159-7163; B. K. KOBILKA et al., 1987, Science, 238, 650-656; T. FRIELLE et al., 1987, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 7920-7924; L. J. EMORINE et al., 1987, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 84, 6995-6999; L. J. EMORINE et al., 1989, Science, 245, 1118-1121). Analysis of these genes has enabled them to be recognized as belonging to a family of integral membrane receptors displaying certain homologies (R. A. F. DIXON et al., 1988, Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry, 221-233; L. J. EMORINE et al., 1988, Proc. NATO Adv. Res. Workshop), in particular in respect of 7 transmembrane regions which are coupled to regulatory proteins, known as G proteins, capable of binding guanosine triphosphate (GTP) molecules. 
     These membrane receptors, when they have bound the appropriate ligand (agonist or antagonist), undergo a change in conformation, which induces an intra-cellular signal which modifies the behaviour of the target cell. 
     In the case of β-adrenergic receptors, when they bind to catecholamine agonists, they catalyse the activation of a class of G proteins, which in turn stimulates adenylate cyclase activity, while ARβ antagonists act in competition with the agonists for binding to the receptor and prevent activation of adenylate cyclase. 
     When adenylate cyclase is activated, it catalyses the production of an intracellular mediator or second messenger, in particular cyclic AMP. 
     The inventors have recently demonstrated new β-adrenergic receptors in man, designated Hu-ARβ 3 , and in the mouse (International Application WO 92/12,246), designated Mu-ARβ 3 , and characterized by properties different from those of the β 1  and β 2  receptors, in particular in that they behave differently with respect to substances which are, respectively, β 1  - and β 2  -receptor antagonists and agonists (International Application WO 90/08,775). 
     In particular, the Hu-ARβ 3  receptor consists, more especially, of a sequence of 408 amino acids, and is considered to contain seven hydrophobic transmembrane regions separated by intra- and extracellular hydrophilic loops, and the Mu-ARβ 3  receptor consists of a sequence of 400 amino acids and also contains 7 transmembrane regions. 
     The previous studies relating to Hu-ARβ 3  and Mu-ARβ 3  showed, in particular, that the β 3  -adrenergic receptor participates in disorders such as diabetes and/or obesity, in as much as it is expressed in tissues which play an important part in metabolism (adipose tissues, skeletal muscles in particular). 
     Continuing his studies along these lines, one of the inventors sought to demonstrate such a β 3  -adrenergic receptor in cattle (Bo-ARβ 3 ), so as to be able to have available a tool for regulating the amount of fats in these animals, in particular with the object of improving the quality of the meat. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject of the present invention is a nucleotide sequence, characterized in that it corresponds to the cDNA of the bovine gene coding for the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the said nucleotide sequence, it comprises the nucleotide sequence and the deduced amino acid sequence (SEQ ID No. 1) of formula (I). 
     In this sequence, the underlined ATG which occurs at position 107 probably corresponds to the initiation codon for protein synthesis. 
     There is 85% homology between the bovine and human nucleotide sequences coding for the β 3  -adrenergic receptor, and there is 76% homology between the bovine and murine nucleotide sequences coding for the β 3  -adrenergic receptor. 
     The said sequence comprises, in particular, the following single restriction sites: 
     Bpu1102 I, Fok I, EcoR V, Bcg I, Nhe I, BspM I, Afl III, Age I, BstE II, BspH I, Bsg I, Nsp I, Nsp7524 I, NspC I, Sap I, BamH I, BstY I, Asc I, Sty I, Hinc II, Apa I, Bsp120 I, Bbe I, Ehe I, Kas I, Nar I, Ec1136 I, SaC I, Stu I, Fse I, Drd I, Tthlll I, Srf I, Bsu36 I, Sfc I, BstX I, Ase I, Bsm I, Dra I. 
     The subject of the invention is also the fragments of the said sequence which are useful for expression of the corresponding peptide and/or detection of the bovine gene coding for the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor. 
     Among the said fragments, there may be mentioned: 
     the 78-base pair fragment which corresponds to nucleotides 218-295 of the sequence of formula I and which codes for the transmembrane region TM1, 
     the 72-base pair fragment which corresponds to nucleotides 332-403 of the sequence of formula I and which codes for the transmembrane region TM2, 
     the 66-base pair fragment which corresponds to nucleotides 434-499 of the sequence of formula I and which codes for the transmembrane region TM3, 
     the 69-base pair fragment which corresponds to nucleotides 572-640 of the sequence of formula I and which codes for the transmembrane region TM4, 
     the 72-base pair fragment which corresponds to nucleotides 713-784 of the sequence of formula I and which codes for the transmembrane region TM5, 
     the 66-base pair fragment which corresponds to nucleotides 983-1048 of the sequence of formula I and which codes for the transmembrane region TM6, 
     the 78-base pair fragment which corresponds to nucleotides 1070-1147 of the sequence of formula I and which codes for the transmembrane region TM7. 
     The subject of the present invention is also cDNA clones, characterized in that they comprise a sequence fragment coding for the bovine β 3  receptor (Bo-ARβ 3 ). 
     According to the invention, the clone designated M13-6.6 comprises 2979 base pairs, includes the sequence of formula I and comprises the following single restriction sites: EcoR V, Bcg I, Nhe I, BstE II, BspH I, Bsg I, Sap I, BamH I, Asc I, Stu I, Fse I, Drd I, Srf I, Sfc I, Ase I, Bsm I, Dra I, Bsp1407 I, Csp6 I, Rsa I, Ssp I, Dra III, Bgl II, Afl II, Spe I, Tfi I, Hpa I, Nde I, EcoN I, BsaB I, Pvu I. 
     The subject of the present invention is also nucleotide probes, characterized in that they consist of a nucleotide sequence as is defined above, or a fragment of the latter, labelled using a label such as a radioactive isotope, a suitable enzyme or a fluorochrome. 
     The said nucleotide probes are characterized in that they hybridize with the nucleotide sequences as are defined above but do not hybridize with the genes coding for the β 1  - and β 2  -adrenergic receptors, or with the messenger RNA of the said β 1  - and β 2  -adrenergic receptors. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the said probe, its sequence is homologous with or complementary to that of a segment of at least 10 bp of the sequence I. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS. 1a and 1b depict restriction sites contained in cloned fragments. FIG. 1a depicts restriction sites contained in the 2,000 bp fragment. FIG. 1b depicts single restriction sites contained in the 3 kb fragment. 
     FIGS. 2.1 and 2.2 depict the homology among the bovine β 3  peptide (BETA3 BOV; SEQ ID NO:2), the human β 3  peptide (BETA3 HU; SEQ ID NO:3), the rat β 3  peptide (BETA3 RA; SEQ ID NO:4) and the murine β 3  peptide (BETA3 MO; SEQ ID NO:5). FIG. 2.1 depicts amino acids 1-240 of the peptides. FIG. 2.2 depicts amino acids 241-405 of the bovine β 3  protein, amino acids 241-408 of the human, and amino acids 241-400 of the rat and murine proteins. 
     FIGS. 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 depict the homology between the human β 3  DNA (Huβ 3  ; SEQ ID NO:7) and the bovine β 3  DNA (bov β 3  ; SEQ ID NO:6). FIG. 3.1 depicts nucleotides 1-320. FIG. 3.2 depicts nucleotides 321-640. FIG. 3.3 depicts nucleotides 641-960. FIG. 3.4 depicts nucleotides 961-1190. 
     FIG. 4 depicts a schematic of pRc/CMV-Boβ 3  -ADR. 
     FIG. 5 depicts a schematic of pRc/CMV, including a multisite linker comprising the following single restriction sites; Hind III, BstX I, Not I, Xba I and Apa I. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     For the purpose of the present invention, &#34;homologous sequence&#34; encompasses not only sequences identical to the sequence I, or to a fragment of the latter, but also those which differ therefrom only by the substitution, deletion or addition of a small number of nucleotides, provided that the sequences thus modified have a specificity of hybridization equivalent to that of the sequence (I) or of the unmodified segment in question. 
     Likewise, &#34;complementary sequence&#34; is understood to mean not only sequences which are strictly complementary to the sequence (I) or to its segments, but also modified sequences, as indicated above, possessing a specificity of hybridization equivalent to that of the said strictly complementary sequences. 
     The hybridization conditions are defined as follows: 
     For the shortest probes, that is to say of approximately 10 to approximately 100 nucleotides, suitable hybridization conditions are as follows: 750 mM NaCl, 75 mM Tris-sodium citrate, 50 μg/ml salmon sperm DNA, 50 mM sodium phosphate, 1 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 100 μM ATP, 10 to 25% formamide, 1% Ficoll (&#34;PHARMACIA&#34;, average molecular weight 400.00), 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone, 1% bovine serum albumin, for 14 to 16 h at 42° C. 
     For the longest probes, that is to say possessing more than approximately 100 nucleotides, suitable hybridization conditions are those stated above for the shortest probes, but in which the medium defined above contains 40% of formamide instead of 10 to 25% of formamide. 
     According to an advantageous arrangement of this embodiment, the said probe can be advantageously defined by any one of the above nucleotide sequences, and in particular by the 2-kbase fragment which corresponds to the whole of the sequence of formula I. 
     The subject of the present invention is also a peptide and/or a peptide fragment, characterized in that it is encoded by a nucleotide sequence as is defined above, and in that it displays β 3  -adrenergic receptor activity. 
     β 3  -Adrenergic receptor activity is that defined in French Patent Application No. 89/00,918, namely that, when the fragment is exposed at the surface of a cell, it is capable of participating in the activation of adenylate cyclase in the presence of one of the following agonists: BRL 28410, BRL 37344, CGP 12177A, (1)-isoproterenol and carazolol; or, it is capable of being recognized by antibodies which do not recognize either the β 1  -adrenergic receptor or the β 2  -adrenergic receptor; or, it is capable of generating antibodies which do not recognize either the β 1  receptor or the β 2  receptor. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the said peptide, it comprises 405 amino acids and possesses the amino acid sequence (SEQ ID No. 2) of formula II: 
     This peptide is designated hereinafter bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor (Bo-ARβ 3 ). 
     The invention also comprises the peptides which are variants of those defined above, which contain certain mutations, without the peptides losing the β 3  -adrenergic receptor properties. 
     Among these variants, there may be mentioned those which are recognized by antibodies that recognize the transmembrane regions, as well as those which are recognized by antibodies that recognize the regions other than the transmembrane regions. 
     The subject of the present invention is also fragments or combinations of fragments of Bo-ARβ 3 , according to the invention, and in particular: 
     a fragment of 26 amino acids corresponding to the segment 38-63 of the formula II and constituting the transmembrane region TM1, 
     a fragment of 24 amino acids corresponding to the segment 76-99 of the formula II and constituting the transmembrane region TM2, 
     a fragment of 22 amino acids corresponding to the segment 110-131 of the formula II and constituting the transmembrane region TM3, 
     a fragment of 23 amino acids corresponding to the segment 156-178 of the formula II and constituting the transmembrane region TM4, 
     a fragment of 24 amino acids corresponding to the segment 203-226 of the formula II and constituting the transmembrane region TM5, 
     a fragment of 22 amino acids corresponding to the segment 293-314 of the formula II and constituting the transmembrane region TM6, 
     a fragment of 26 amino acids corresponding to the segment 322-347 of the formula II and constituting the transmembrane region TM7. 
     The said fragments may advantageously be obtained by synthesis, in particular by the Merrifield method. 
     The subject of the present invention is also a recombinant cloning and/or expression vector, characterized in that it comprises a nucleotide sequence according to the invention. 
     For the purpose of the present invention, recombinant vector is understood to mean either a plasmid, a cosmid or a phage. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the said vector, it consists of a suitable recombinant vector comprising, in particular, an origin of replication in a suitable host microorganism, in particular a bacterium or a eukaryotic cell, at least one gene whose expression permits selection either of the bacteria or of the eukaryotic cells which have received the said vector, and a suitable regulatory sequence, in particular a promoter permitting expression of the genes in the said bacteria or eukaryotic cells, into which vector is inserted a nucleotide sequence or a sequence fragment as are defined above, which vector is a vector for the expression of a peptide, of a peptide fragment or of a combination of peptide fragments having bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor activity. 
     According to an advantageous arrangement of this embodiment, the said vector consists of an expression vector pRc/CMV into which is inserted, in the multisite linker, at least the fragment coding for the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor; such a plasmid has been designated pRc/CMV-Boβ3-ADR, and has been deposited with the Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganismes [National Collection of Microorganism Cultures] (CNCM) held by the PASTEUR INSTITUTE, dated 15th Apr. 1993, under No. I-1297. 
     The subject of the present invention is also a suitable host cell obtained by genetic transformation, characterized in that it is transformed with an expression vector according to the invention. 
     Such a cell is capable of expressing a peptide of bovine origin having β 3  -adrenergic receptor acitivity. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment, the host cell consists, in particular, of cells of the CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) line. 
     Another of the microorganisms used can consist of a bacterium, in particular Escherichia coli. 
     It was not obvious that cattle have β 3  -adrenergic receptors whose activation unexpectedly enables the amount and quality of the fats to be regulated, thereby enabling the quality of bovine meat to be improved. 
     Advantageously, the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptors according to the invention constitute a tool for the selection of ligands participating in the activation of these receptors, and make it possible to identify and select β-adrenergic ligands which are specific for the β 3  -adrenergic receptors, and especially ligands having more affinity and which are more selective for the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor than for the human β 3  -adrenergic receptor. 
     According to the invention, the method for the selection and identification of substances capable of behaving as a specific ligand with respect to a peptide (bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor) according to the invention comprises: 
     bringing the said substance into contact with a host cell previously transformed with an expression vector as defined above, which host cell expresses the said bovine peptide (bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor), if necessary after suitable physical or chemical induction, and which contacting is carried out under conditions permitting the formation of a bond between at least one of the specific sites and the said substance if circumstances are appropriate, and 
     detecting the possible formation of a complex of the ligand-peptide type. 
     Such a process makes it possible to select either ligands specific for the β 3  -adrenergic receptor, or ligands specific for the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor exclusively. 
     Besides the foregoing arrangements, the invention also comprises other arrangements which will become apparent from the description which follows, reference being made to the attached drawings wherein: 
     It should, however, be clearly understood that these examples are given only by way of illustration of the subject of the invention, and in no way constitute a limitation thereof. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     Isolation and Identification of the Bovine β 3  -Adrenergic Gene 
     Preparation of RNA 
     The bovine β 3  -adrenergic gene was isolated from a cDNA library of calf brown adipose tissue, constructed in bacteriaphage λgtll. 
     To this end, the total RNA is extracted from calf brown adipose tissue by the guanidinium thiocyanate method, and the poly(A) +  messenger RNA is then purified using oligo(dT) columns (Pharmacia Ref.: 27-9258-01). 
     The total RNA and messenger RNA were analysed by Northern blotting to verify the presence and size of the messengers of the desired gene. After electrophoresis, the RNA was transferred onto a positively charged nylon membrane (Amersham Hybond®-N+ ref. RPN 203B). This membrane is then hybridized with a radiolabelled probe (radiolabelling: see screening of recombinant phages, below), consisting of a 2900-base pair DNA fragment containing the whole of the murine β 3  -adrenergic gene previously isolated in the laboratory (NAHMIAS et al., 1991, EMBO J., 10, 3721-3727; International Application WO 92/12,246). After hybridization with the radiolabelled probe, the filters are washed and exposed for several days to autoradiography film (KODAK X-OMAT AR); an approximately 2.0-kilobase fragment is observed, both in the total RNA fraction and in the purified messenger RNA fraction. This confirms that the gene corresponding to the β 3  -adrenergic receptor is expressed in calf brown adipose tissue, and that the cDNA library can be constructed from this purified poly(A) +  messenger RNA. 
     To verify that the RNA source is indeed brown adipose tissue, the Northern blot obtained above was hybridized with a radiolabelled probe corresponding to the gene for human uncoupling protein (hUCP). This protein is only present in this type of adipose tissue, and may be regarded as a kind of &#34;marker&#34; for brown adipose tissue. With this probe, a strongly positive signal is detected. 
     Synthesis of cDNA 
     The corresponding cDNA is then synthesized, taking as template the purified poly(A) +  messenger RNA and as primer for the synthesis of the first strand an oligo(dT) 15  primer originating from the &#34;RiboClone cDNA synthesis system&#34; kit (Promega ref. C 2100). The synthesis of the first cDNA strand takes place in the presence of AMV reverse transcriptase, and the synthesis of the second strand is carried out using two enzymes acting simultaneously (E. coli polymerase I and E. coli RNase H). The double-stranded cDNA is then treated with T4 DNA polymerase so as to obtain blunt ends. The Promega C 2100 kit is used for all of these reactions. 
     Next, adaptors containing EcoR I sites are added so as to be able to insert the cDNA obtained into bacteriaphage λgtll under the following conditions, described in the EcoR I Adaptor Ligation System I kit (Promega ref. C 1900): 
     the cDNA is centrifuged through a Sephacryl® S-400 matrix (kit) to remove small molecules; the adaptors are then added to the cDNA by ligation in the presence of T4 DNA ligase, the mixture is left overnight and a second centrifugation is performed through a Sephacryl® S-400 column so as to remove unbound adaptors. 
     Before inserting the cDNA thus treated into the λgtll vector, the adaptors are phosphorylated in the presence of T4 polynucleotide kinase. 
     Insertion of the cDNA into Bacteriaphage λgtll 
     The bacteriaphage λgtll used as vector originates from the &#34;Protoclone Lambda gtll System&#34; kit Promega ref. T 301/0-2). The DNA of the phage is digested with EcoR I and dephosphorylated. Dephosphorylation prevents the vector from closing up again. 
     Several ligations are performed with variable amounts of the cDNA obtained, with 0.5 μg of vector DNA, under the following conditions, for each ligation: for 3 hours at room temperature in the presence of T4 DNA ligase (Promega kit C1900). 
     An in vitro encapsidation is then performed using the &#34;Packagene&#34; extracts present in Promega kit T301/0-2. 
     After incubation at 22° C. for 2 hours, the reconstituted phage particles are used to infect bacteria, in particular the strain Y1090(r-) (Genotype: Δ(lacU169), proA+, Δ(lon), araD139, strA, supF, (trpC22::Tn10), (pMC9), hsd(r-, m+)), under the following conditions: the encapsidated phages are very greatly diluted (1/1,000 or 1/10,000); each dilution of phages is incubated with Y1090(r-) cells at 37° C. for 30 minutes, and these infected bacteria are then plated out on a nutrient medium (LB agar) contained in Petri dishes. The dishes are incubated overnight at 37° C., and the next day lytic plaques are observed; each plaque corresponds to a recombinant phage. By counting the number of lytic plaques and multiplying by the given dilution factor, the titer of the cDNA library is determined, and is approximately 4 million recombinant phages. The background of the vector alone without insert is 3.5%, which is entirely acceptable. 
     Screening of Recombinant Phages 
     On the basis of the results obtained, approximately 200,000 phages were plated out on Petri dishes (LB agar medium) so as to be able to screen them with a radiolabelled probe under the following conditions: 
     bacterial strain used: LE 392 (Genotype: F-, hsdR 574 (r-, m+), supE44, supF58, lacY1 or A(laclZY)6, galk2, galT22, metB1, trpR55, λ-); 
     probe: 2900-base pair DNA fragment (murine β 3  -adrenergic gene), as specified above for Northern blotting, radiolabelled by random priming (Boehringer kit ref. 1004 760), incorporating 50 μCi of [α- 32  P)dATP and 50 μCi of [α- 32  P]dCTP (Amersham references PB 10204 and PB 10205). 
     After transfer of the DNA from the lytic plaques onto Hybond®-N+ membranes (Amersham ref. RPN 132B), the latter are hybridized with the radiolabelled probe, then washed and exposed overnight to autoradiography film. 
     17 hybridization signals were observed, 11 of which subsequently proved to be false positives. The 6 remaining clones (1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9) were purified by four successive isolations, followed by a hybridization with the murine β 3  -adrenergic probe described above. 
     Analysis of Positive Clones 
     To identify the clone(s) containing the entire bovine β 3  -adrenergic gene, that is to say the cDNA corresponding to the coding region for the whole protein, 2 methods were used: amplification by PCR and cleavage with a restriction endonuclease, with the object of finding among the positive clones the one which contains the largest insert. 
     1) Amplification by PCR was carried out in lysate of phages (encapsidated phage particles) using the following two primers: 
     1218: 24-mer λgtll primer (sense strand) of formula: 5&#39; d(GGTGGCGACGACTCCTGGAGCCCG)3&#39; (SEQ. ID NO:8), and 
     1222: λgtll primer (antisense strand), also 24-mer, of formula: 5&#39; d(TTGACACCAGACCAACTGGTAATG)3&#39; (SEQ ID NO:9) (New England Biolabs). 
     In view of the fact that these primers hybridize on both sides of the insertion site of the cDNA into the phage, it was possible in this way to find out the size of the fragments inserted into the different positive clones. 
     2) The DNA of the 6 phages of interest was prepared and cut with the restriction enzyme EcoR I so as to verify the size of the inserts; hybridization with the murine β 3  -adrenergic probe enabled the clone containing the largest positive insert to be detected. 
     The outcome of these two approaches was that clone No. 6 was chosen for a more exhaustive analysis in view of the fact that it contains the largest insert of desired cDNA (3 kilobases). 
     After cleavage of the phage λ with the restriction enzyme EcoR I, the fragment containing cDNA was inserted into bacteriophage M13tg131 so as to be able to sequence the gene. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     Sequencing of the Bovine β 3  -Adrenergic Gene 
     The approximately 3-kb DNA fragment bounded by the EcoR I enzyme sites was sequenced. 
     This DNA fragment was purified from the DNA of clone 6 and subcloned into the EcoR I site of the vector M13tg131. The M13 clones which had integrated the DNA fragment in the 2 opposing orientations (6.3 and 6.6) were identified and sequenced. 
     To perform the sequencing reactions, the USB Sequenase Version 2.0 kit (United States Biochemical ref. 70770) was used. 
     The sequence was produced using specific primers, which hybridize with the sense strand (clone M13-6.6) or with the antisense strand (clone M13-6.3) according to the method of Sanger (MANIATIS et al., Molecular Cloning, 2nd edition, pages 13.3-13.10). 
     The results obtained from the sequence of the 3-kilobase EcoR I fragment show the nucleotide sequence of bovine ARβ 3  (1215 bp) and non-coding regions (106 bp at the 5&#39; end and 638 bp at the 3&#39; end) (formula I). The restriction sites contained in the 2,000-bp fragment are positioned on FIG. 1a (bov 6.6 short (pA)). 
     FIG. 1b shows the single restriction sites contained in the 3-kb fragment which was sequenced. 
     Comparison of the coding regions of the human and bovine β 3  genes (FIG. 3) shows a strong homology (85% in respect of the nucleotide sequences between bovine and human AR; comparison of the coding regions of the bovine and murine β 3  genes also shows strong homology (76% in respect of the nucleotide sequences between bovine AR and murine AR). 
     The bovine β 3  gene codes for the peptide of 405 amino acids which displays a very large homology with the human β 3  peptide or the murine β 3  peptide (FIG. 2), as indicated above. 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     Construction of a vector for the Expression of Bovine ARβ 3   
     The restriction map of the 2-kb fragment which was sequenced (FIG. 1a) shows the presence of a site of cleavage by the enzyme Srf I at position 1598, that is to say 270 nucleotides upstream of the coding region of the bovine β 3  gene. DNA of the clone M13-6.6 was digested with the enzymes EcoR I and Srf I to liberate the 1598-base pair fragment containing the coding region of the bovine β 3  gene and a portion of the untranslated 3&#39; region. This DNA fragment was purified and then inserted into the expression vector pRc/CMV at the Hind III and Xba I cleavage sites (FIG. 4). 
     Since the ends generated by the enzymes Hind III and Xba I on the one hand, and EcoR I and Srf I on the other hand, are not compatible, care was taken to treat the EcoR I and Srf I ends of the insert on the one hand with the Klenow fragment of polymerase I, and the Hind III and Xba I ends of the vector on the other hand with the Klenow fragment of polymerase I, so as to obtain blunt ends (MANIATIS et al., Molecular Cloning, 2nd edition, pages 5.40-5.42). 
     The recombinant plasmid pRc/CMV-Boβ3-ADR shown in FIG. 5 was thereby obtained. 
     EXAMPLE 4 
     Pharmacological Properties of the Expression Product of the Bovine β 3  Gene 
     a) Transfection of CHO-K1 Cells 
     To characterize better the bovine β 3  -adrenergic receptor, the bovine β 3  gene is expressed at the surface of eukaryotic cells, which possess all the elements needed for transduction of the signal. 
     The recombinant plasmid pRc/CMV of Example 3 was transfected into CHO-K1 cells by a lypofectin transfection method; the transfected cells are selected with G418 (neomycin derivative). 
     More specifically, the said transfection method is carried out as follows: 
     CHO-K1 cells (ATCC CCL 61) are cultured to confluence in a culture medium containing; 45% DMEM medium, 45% F12-Ham medium, 10% heat-inactivated foetal calf serum, 2 mM glutamine, 100 U/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin. 
     1 μg of DNA of bovine β 3  plasmid pRc/CMV is mixed with 5 μl of lipofectin (Gibco) and 1,000 μl of the abovementioned culture medium without serum. 
     This mixture is added to cells in culture, which are left to incubate at 37° C. for 5 hours. 
     The medium is replaced with a culture medium, mentioned above, containing serum, and the cells are incubated again at 37° C. for 48 hours. The cells are then distributed in 96 wells according to variable dilutions and incubated in the presence of geneticin (G418, Gibco) at a concentration of 400 μg/ml in complete medium for approximately 10 days, the medium being changed every other day. 
     The different colonies obtained are then subcloned, first in 48 wells and then in 6 wells, before screening. 
     Stable colonies are screened for their capacity to bind specifically to [ 125  I]cyanopindolol and also for their capacity to stimulate adenylate cyclase in the presence of isoproterenol, in accordance with protocol described in TATE et al., Eur. J. Biochem., 191, 196, 357-361. 
     Transfected cells stably expressing ARβ 3  bind [ 125  I]cyanopindolol with an affinity equivalent to that of the corresponding ARβ 3  in man or in mouse and also obtained by cloning. 
     A set of subclones were selected from the stable clones; one of them, designated 62-26, was used for the pharmacological evaluation of bovine ARβ 3 . 
     b) Pharmacological Characteristics of the Bovine ARβ 3  Receptor 
     Pharmacological characterization of the bovine ARβ 3  receptor was carried out using the stable clones 62-26. The pharmacological properties of 10 β 3  -adrenergic ligands were determined by studies of stimulation of adenylate cyclase and of binding of [ 125  I]cyanopindolol. 
     Adenylate cyclase activation experiments were carried out according to the protocol detailed in BLIN et al., Mol. Pharmacol., 1991, 44, 1094-1104. 
     Briefly, preconfluent cells in six-well plates (0.6×10 6  cells/well) are placed in contact or otherwise with increasing doses of ligands for 30 minutes at 37° C. Reaction is stopped by washing in PBS at 4° C. and adding 500 μl of 1N NaOH. After centrifugation and neutralization with 1N acetic acid, the cell lysates are recovered and the total amount of cAMP accumulated is determined using a commercial assay kit. 
     Study of the competitive binding of ligands was carried out on intact cells according to the protocol detailed in BLIN et al., Mol. Pharmacol., 1991, 44, 1094-1104. Briefly, 10 5  cells are incubated with 0.5 nM [ 125  I]cyanopindolol in the presence or absence of increasing concentrations of competitors for 30 minutes at 37° C. Reaction is stopped by dilution with ice-cold PBS, the cells are filtered off and the radioactivity is measured in a gamma counter. The results were analysed using Graph-Pad© software. 
     Among the ligands tested, four are described as β 1  -, β 2  - and β 3  -AR-receptor agonists: (-)-iso-proterenol, (-)-epinephrine, (-)-norepinephrine, BRL 37344; three are described as specific for the ARβ 3  receptor (β 1  -, β 2  -AR antagonists): CGP12177A, ICI201651, bucindolol. Bupranolol was also tested since it is described as an antagonist of the three subtypes of receptor (BLIN et al., Br. J. Pharmacol., 1994, in press). Lastly, (-)-propranolol, described as a partial agonist of the human ARβ 3  receptor and antagonist of the mouse ARβ 3  receptor (NAHMIAS et al., EMBO J., 1991, 10, 3721-3727), was tested. 
     The values of the adenylate cyclase activation constants (K act ), of the inhibition constants (K i ) and of the intrinsic activity (IA) corresponding to the ratio of the effect of the ligand at 10 -4  M to the effect of isoproterenol at 10 -4  M, which are obtained for the different ligands, are presented in the table below. The four ligands which are agonists of the three subtypes of receptors (β 1  -, β 2  -, β 3  -AR) have K act  and K i  values close to those obtained for the human ARβ 3  receptor (BLIN et al., Br. J. Pharmacol., 1994, in press), mouse ARβ 3  receptor (NAHMIAS et al., EMBO J., 1991, 10, 3721-3727) and rat ARβ 3  receptor (GRANNEMAN et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therap., 1991, 40, 895-899; MUZZIN et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1991, 266, 24053-24058). 
     The specific ligands for the ARβ 3  receptor all have a smaller K act  value for the bovine ARβ 3  receptor compared to the human and mouse ARβ 3  receptors, and hence improved efficacy in stimulating adenylate cyclase. (-)-Propranolol is a partial agonist at bovine ARβ 3 , as for the human ARβ 3  receptor. In contrast, bupranolol, which is described as a potent antagonist for human and murine ARβ 3  receptors, is a partial agonist at the bovine ARβ 3  receptor. 
     
         __________________________________________________________________________    Mouse RAβ3-CHO                      Human RAβ3-CHO                                        BovineRAβ3-CHO    Binding           Accumul.                cAMP  Binding                             Accumul.                                  cAMP  Binding                                               Accumul.                                                    cAMPLIGANDS  Ki (nM)           Kact (nM)                IA    Ki (nM)                             Kact (nM)                                  IA    Ki (nM)                                               Kact                                                    IAM)__________________________________________________________________________agonistsβ1/β2/β3(-) isproterenol    --     99 ± 44                1.4 ± 0.1                      620    4    0.9   84 ± 81                                               14 ± 2                                                    0.9 ± 0.1(- ) epinephrine    4,600 ± 1,850           23 ± 0.3                0.91 ± 0.03                      20,650 ± 2.810                             49 ± 5                                  1.00 ± 0.04                                        11,105 ± 7.345                                               50.7                                                    0.8 ± 0.3(-) norepinephrine    1,840 ± 600           13 ± 4                1.06 ± 0.06                      475 ± 75                             6.32 ± 0.7                                  1.00  423 ± 255                                               54 ± 4.3                                                    1.00 ± 0.5BRL 37344    290 ± 136           0.4 ± 0.1                1.07 ± 0.08                      287 ± 92                             15 ± 3                                  1.11 ± 0.12                                        2.13 ± 1.4                                               0.3                                                    0.84 ± 0.1β1/β2 antagonists/β3 agonistsCGP 12177A    152 ± 19           41 ± 9                0.75 ± 0.08                      88 ± 22                             139 ± 44                                  0.68 ± 0.02                                        218 ± 161                                               1.41                                                    0.93 ± 0.20ICI 201651    239 ± 104           15 ± 1                1.02 ± 0.02                      85 ± 12                             20 ± 9                                  1.14 ± 0.14                                        27.7 ± 24                                               1.1                                                    0.85 ± 0.1Bucindolol    21 ± 5           40 ±14                1.11 ± 0.06                      23 ± 10                             7.0 ± 1.2                                  1.01 ± 0.10                                        73 ± 42                                               12.8                                                    0.99 ± 0.10partial agonist/antagonist(- ) propranolol    150 ± 22           antagonist                --    145 ± 8                             1,490 ± 550                                  0.51 ± 0.12                                        589 ± 74                                               661                                                    0.71 ± 0.08           406 ± 98antagonistsβ1/β2/β3(-) bupranolol    42 ± 19           antagonist                --    50 ± 14                             antagonist                                  --    85 ± 40                                               507                                                    0.34 ± 0.01           12 ± 1__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     As emerges from the foregoing, the invention is in no way limited to those of its embodiments and modes of implementation and application which have just been described more explicitly; it encompasses, on the contrary, all variants which may occur to the specialist in the field, without departure from the scope or range of the present invention. 
     
         __________________________________________________________________________SEQUENCE LISTING(1) GENERAL INFORMATION:(iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 9(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:1:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 2000 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)(ix) FEATURE:(A) NAME/KEY: CDS(B) LOCATION: 107..1321(D) OTHER INFORMATION: /function=&#34;BOVINE BETA-3 RECEPTOR&#34;/product= &#34;ADRENERGIC, BETA RECEPTOR&#34;(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:1:CCCAGGCCAGGGAAATCGCTCCCACGCCCCGATGCCCCCGCCGCTGAGCAGGGTGAGCTG60GGAGACCCTTTCCCTCATTCCTTCCCGCCCCACGCGCGACGCGGGGATGGCTCCG115MetAlaProTGGCCTCCTGGGAACAGCTCTCTGACCCCGTGGCCAGATATCCCCACC163TrpProProGlyAsnSerSerLeuThrProTrpProAspIleProThr51015CTGGCACCCAATACTGCCAACGCGAGTGGGCTGCCAGGGGTGCCCTGG211LeuAlaProAsnThrAlaAsnAlaSerGlyLeuProGlyValProTrp20253035GCGGTGGCGCTGGCGGGGGCGCTGTTGGCGCTAGCGGTGCTGGCCACC259AlaValAlaLeuAlaGlyAlaLeuLeuAlaLeuAlaValLeuAlaThr404550GTGGGAGGCAACCTGCTGGTAATCGTGGCCATCGCCCGGACGCCGAGA307ValGlyGlyAsnLeuLeuValIleValAlaIleAlaArgThrProArg556065CTCCAGACCATGACCAACGTGTTCGTGACTTCGCTGGCCACAGCCGAC355LeuGlnThrMetThrAsnValPheValThrSerLeuAlaThrAlaAsp707580CTGGTGGTGGGGCTCCTGGTCGTGCCCCCGGGGGCCACGTTGGCGCTG403LeuValValGlyLeuLeuValValProProGlyAlaThrLeuAlaLeu859095ACCGGCCACTGGCCCCTGGGCGTCACCGGTTGCGAGCTGTGGACCTCA451ThrGlyHisTrpProLeuGlyValThrGlyCysGluLeuTrpThrSer100105110115GTGGACGTGCTGTGTGTGACCGCCAGCATCGAAACCCTGTGCGCCCTG499ValAspValLeuCysValThrAlaSerIleGluThrLeuCysAlaLeu120125130GCGGTGGACCGCTACCTGGCCGTGACCAACCCGCTGCGCTACGGCGCG547AlaValAspArgTyrLeuAlaValThrAsnProLeuArgTyrGlyAla135140145CTGGTCACCAAACGCCGCGCCCTAGCAGCCGTGGTCCTGGTGTGGGTG595LeuValThrLysArgArgAlaLeuAlaAlaValValLeuValTrpVal150155160GTGTCCGCCGCGGTGTCGTTTGCGCCCATCATGAGCAAATGGTGGCGC643ValSerAlaAlaValSerPheAlaProIleMetSerLysTrpTrpArg165170175ATCGGGGCCGATGCCGAGGCGCAGCGTTGCCACTCCAACCCGCGCTGC691IleGlyAlaAspAlaGluAlaGlnArgCysHisSerAsnProArgCys180185190195TGCACCTTCGCCTCCAACATGCCCTACGCGCTGCTCTCCTCCTCGGTC739CysThrPheAlaSerAsnMetProTyrAlaLeuLeuSerSerSerVal200205210TCGTTCTATCTTCCGCTCCTGGTGATGCTCTTCGTCTACGCACGAGTT787SerPheTyrLeuProLeuLeuValMetLeuPheValTyrAlaArgVal215220225TTCGTGGTGGCCACGCGCCAGCTGCGCTTGCTGCGCCGGGAGCTGGGT835PheValValAlaThrArgGlnLeuArgLeuLeuArgArgGluLeuGly230235240CGCTTCCCGCCAGAGGAGTCTCCGCCGGCTCCTTCTCGCTCCGGATCC883ArgPheProProGluGluSerProProAlaProSerArgSerGlySer245250255CCTGGCCTGGCGGGGCCGTGCGCCTCGCCCGCGGGGGTGCCCTCCTAC931ProGlyLeuAlaGlyProCysAlaSerProAlaGlyValProSerTyr260265270275GGCCGGCGGCCGGCGCGCCTTCTGCCTCTGCGGGAACACCGCGCCCTG979GlyArgArgProAlaArgLeuLeuProLeuArgGluHisArgAlaLeu280285290CGCACCTTGGGGCTCATCATGGGAACCTTCACTCTCTGCTGGTTGCCT1027ArgThrLeuGlyLeuIleMetGlyThrPheThrLeuCysTrpLeuPro295300305TTCTTTGTGGTCAACGTGGTGCGCGCCCTCGGGGGCCCCTCTCTGGTG1075PhePheValValAsnValValArgAlaLeuGlyGlyProSerLeuVal310315320TCCGGCCCCACTTTCCTCGCCCTTAACTGGCTGGGCTATGCCAACTCT1123SerGlyProThrPheLeuAlaLeuAsnTrpLeuGlyTyrAlaAsnSer325330335GCCTTCAACCCGCTCATCTACTGCCGCAGCCCGGACTTTCGGAGCGCC1171AlaPheAsnProLeuIleTyrCysArgSerProAspPheArgSerAla340345350355TTCCGCCGCCTGCTGTGTCGCTGCCGGCCGGAGGAGCACCTCGCCGCT1219PheArgArgLeuLeuCysArgCysArgProGluGluHisLeuAlaAla360365370GCCTCCCCGCCCCGAGCCCCCTCCGGCGCCCCCACGGCCCTGACCAGC1267AlaSerProProArgAlaProSerGlyAlaProThrAlaLeuThrSer375380385CCCGCTGGCCCCATGCAGCCCCCAGAGCTCGACGGGGCTTCCTGCGGA1315ProAlaGlyProMetGlnProProGluLeuAspGlyAlaSerCysGly390395400CTTTCTTAGGCCTTGAAGAAACAACTCCATTGATCCGGAACCTTTGGAAAGCCTCT1371LeuSer405GGCCGGCCTCGGTTCAGAATGAGCCCCGTGGAGTTTCCCAGCTGGAAAACTCTGCCCTCC1431CCAGCCTGACGACTGGGTCCTGGGAGGAGGCGCGGGGGCTGACTGGGGAGGGGAAATCCT1491TACCAAGTGGGTTTTCGCTCTCTTTCTGAGAGAAGTTTTCTACACCCCAGCCCTGAACTT1551CACCGCTGCCTCAGCAGCTCCCGCGTCTGGTTTCCCATGCCCAGGTGCCCGGGCAGGAGC1611TGGGCTGCGTTTAGCCCCGGGACCCGCACCTGTCCCACTCGGGTGCTGTGTGCGCAGGGG1671CAAGGCGGGCACCTTCATTCTGTTCCTTCTGCCGCCCAGACCCTGAGGAACCCACCGGGG1731TGCTGGAGGCCCAGGCTGAGAAGAGGAAGGTGGGGAAGGTCACGGTTTGGGCTTCTGTCC1791CTGGCTTCCTCACTGTAGACACACCTACCTCACAGCATTTTCAGGACTTTACTTTAGCCT1851TTGGGGTGGGGGTGGGGGGGCGCTCCTGGTTTCCTGGGAAGGTGAACCATTAGAATGGGT1911CCCTTTTCCTTTTGAAATCAAATTAATAAATGTTACTGAATGCAGTTTAAAAAAAAAAAA1971AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2000(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:2:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 405 amino acids(B) TYPE: amino acid(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:2:MetAlaProTrpProProGlyAsnSerSerLeuThrProTrpProAsp151015IleProThrLeuAlaProAsnThrAlaAsnAlaSerGlyLeuProGly202530ValProTrpAlaValAlaLeuAlaGlyAlaLeuLeuAlaLeuAlaVal354045LeuAlaThrValGlyGlyAsnLeuLeuValIleValAlaIleAlaArg505560ThrProArgLeuGlnThrMetThrAsnValPheValThrSerLeuAla65707580ThrAlaAspLeuValValGlyLeuLeuValValProProGlyAlaThr859095LeuAlaLeuThrGlyHisTrpProLeuGlyValThrGlyCysGluLeu100105110TrpThrSerValAspValLeuCysValThrAlaSerIleGluThrLeu115120125CysAlaLeuAlaValAspArgTyrLeuAlaValThrAsnProLeuArg130135140TyrGlyAlaLeuValThrLysArgArgAlaLeuAlaAlaValValLeu145150155160ValTrpValValSerAlaAlaValSerPheAlaProIleMetSerLys165170175TrpTrpArgIleGlyAlaAspAlaGluAlaGlnArgCysHisSerAsn180185190ProArgCysCysThrPheAlaSerAsnMetProTyrAlaLeuLeuSer195200205SerSerValSerPheTyrLeuProLeuLeuValMetLeuPheValTyr210215220AlaArgValPheValValAlaThrArgGlnLeuArgLeuLeuArgArg225230235240GluLeuGlyArgPheProProGluGluSerProProAlaProSerArg245250255SerGlySerProGlyLeuAlaGlyProCysAlaSerProAlaGlyVal260265270ProSerTyrGlyArgArgProAlaArgLeuLeuProLeuArgGluHis275280285ArgAlaLeuArgThrLeuGlyLeuIleMetGlyThrPheThrLeuCys290295300TrpLeuProPhePheValValAsnValValArgAlaLeuGlyGlyPro305310315320SerLeuValSerGlyProThrPheLeuAlaLeuAsnTrpLeuGlyTyr325330335AlaAsnSerAlaPheAsnProLeuIleTyrCysArgSerProAspPhe340345350ArgSerAlaPheArgArgLeuLeuCysArgCysArgProGluGluHis355360365LeuAlaAlaAlaSerProProArgAlaProSerGlyAlaProThrAla370375380LeuThrSerProAlaGlyProMetGlnProProGluLeuAspGlyAla385390395400SerCysGlyLeuSer405(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:3:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 408 amino acids(B) TYPE: amino acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:3:MetAlaProTrpProHisGluAsnSerSerLeuAlaProTrpProAsp151015LeuProThrLeuAlaProAsnThrAlaAsnThrSerGlyLeuProGly202530ValProTrpGluAlaAlaLeuAlaGlyAlaLeuLeuAlaLeuAlaVal354045LeuAlaThrValGlyGlyAsnLeuLeuValIleValAlaIleAlaTrp505560ThrProArgLeuGlnThrMetThrAsnValPheValThrSerLeuAla65707580AlaAlaAspLeuValMetGlyLeuLeuValValProProAlaAlaThr859095LeuAlaIleThrGlyHisTrpProLeuGlyAlaThrGlyCysGluLeu100105110TrpThrSerValAspValLeuCysValThrAlaSerIleGluThrLeu115120125CysAlaIleAlaValAspArgTyrLeuAlaValThrAsnProLeuArg130135140TyrGlyAlaLeuValThrLysArgCysAlaArgThrAlaValValLeu145150155160ValTrpValValSerAlaAlaValSerPheAlaProIleMetSerGln165170175TrpTrpArgValGlyAlaAspAlaGluAlaGlnArgCysHisSerAsn180185190ProArgCysCysAlaPheAlaSerAsnMetProTyrValLeuLeuSer195200205SerSerValSerPheTyrLeuProLeuLeuValMetLeuPheValTyr210215220AlaArgValPheValValAlaThrArgGlnLeuArgLeuLeuArgGly225230235240GluLeuGlyArgPheProProGluGluSerProProAlaProSerArg245250255SerLeuAlaProAlaProValGlyThrCysAlaProProGluGlyVal260265270ProAlaCysGlyArgArgProAlaArgLeuLeuProLeuArgGluHis275280285ArgAlaLeuCysThrLeuGlyLeuIleMetGlyThrPheThrLeuCys290295300TrpLeuProPhePheLeuAlaAsnValIleArgAlaLeuGlyGlyPro305310315320SerLeuValProGlyProAlaPheLeuAlaLeuAsnTrpLeuGlyTyr325330335AlaAsnSerAlaPheAsnProLeuIleTyrCysArgSerProAspPhe340345350ArgSerAlaPheArgArgLeuLeuCysArgCysGlyArgArgLeuPro355360365ProGluProCysAlaAlaAlaArgProAlaLeuPheProSerGlyVal370375380ProAlaAlaArgSerSerProAlaGlnProArgLeuCysGlnArgLeu385390395400AspGlyAlaSerTrpGlyValSer405(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:4:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 400 amino acids(B) TYPE: amino acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:4:MetAlaProTrpProHisLysAsnGlySerLeuAlaPheTrpSerAsp151015AlaProThrLeuAspProSerAlaAlaAsnThrSerGlyLeuProGly202530ValProTrpAlaAlaAlaLeuAlaGlyAlaLeuLeuAlaLeuAlaThr354045ValGlyGlyAsnLeuLeuValIleThrAlaIleAlaArgThrProArg505560LeuGlnThrIleThrAsnValPheValThrSerLeuAlaThrAlaAsp65707580LeuValValGlyLeuLeuValMetProProGlyAlaThrLeuAlaIle859095ThrGlyHisTrpProLeuGlyAlaThrGlyCysGluLeuTrpThrSer100105110ValAspValLeuCysValThrAlaSerIleGluThrLeuCysAlaLeu115120125AlaValAspArgTyrLeuAlaValThrAsnProLeuArgTyrGlyThr130135140LeuValThrLysArgArgAlaArgAlaAlaValValLeuValTrpIle145150155160ValSerAlaThrValSerPheAlaProIleMetSerGlnTrpTrpArg165170175ValGlyAlaAspAlaGluAlaGlnGluCysHisSerAsnProArgCys180185190CysSerPheAlaSerAsnMetProTyrAlaLeuLeuSerSerSerVal195200205SerPheTyrLeuProLeuLeuValMetLeuPheValTyrAlaArgVal210215220PheValValAlaLysArgGlnArgArgLeuLeuArgArgGluLeuGly225230235240ArgPheProProGluGluSerProArgSerProSerArgSerProSer245250255ProAlaThrValGlyThrProThrAlaSerAspGlyValProSerCys260265270GlyArgArgProAlaArgLeuLeuProLeuGlyGluHisArgAlaLeu275280285ArgThrLeuGlyLeuIleMetGlyIlePheSerLeuCysTrpLeuPro290295300PhePheLeuAlaAsnValIleArgAlaLeuValGlyProSerLeuVal305310315320ProSerGlyValPheIleAlaLeuAsnTrpLeuGlyTyrAlaAsnSer325330335AlaPheAsnProLeuIleTyrCysArgSerProAspPheArgAspAla340345350PheArgArgLeuLeuCysSerTyrGlyGlyArgGlyProGluGluPro355360365ArgValValThrPheProAlaSerProValAlaSerArgGlnAsnSer370375380ProLeuAsnArgPheAspGlyTyrGluGlyGluArgProPheProThr385390395400(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:5:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 400 amino acids(B) TYPE: amino acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:5:MetAlaProTrpProHisArgAsnGlySerLeuAlaLeuTrpSerAsp151015AlaProThrLeuAspProSerAlaAlaAsnThrSerGlyLeuProGly202530ValProTrpAlaAlaAlaLeuAlaGlyAlaLeuLeuAlaLeuAlaThr354045ValGlyGlyAsnLeuLeuValIleIleAlaIleAlaArgThrProArg505560LeuGlnThrIleThrAsnValPheValThrSerLeuAlaAlaAlaAsp65707580LeuValValGlyLeuLeuValMetProProGlyAlaThrLeuAlaLeu859095ThrGlyHisTrpProLeuGlyGluThrGlyCysGluLeuTrpThrSer100105110ValAspValLeuCysValThrAlaSerIleGluThrLeuCysAlaLeu115120125AlaValAspArgTyrLeuAlaValThrAsnProLeuArgTyrGlyThr130135140LeuValThrLysArgArgAlaArgAlaAlaValValLeuValTrpIle145150155160ValSerAlaAlaValSerPheAlaProIleMetSerGlnTrpTrpArg165170175ValGlyAlaAspAlaGluAlaGlnGluCysHisSerAsnProArgCys180185190CysSerPheAlaSerAsnMetProTyrAlaLeuLeuSerSerSerVal195200205SerPheTyrLeuProLeuLeuValMetLeuPheValTyrAlaArgVal210215220PheValValAlaLysArgGlnArgHisLeuLeuArgArgGluLeuGly225230235240ArgPheSerProGluGluSerProProSerProSerArgSerProSer245250255ProAlaThrGlyGlyThrProAlaAlaProAspGlyValProProCys260265270GlyArgArgProAlaArgLeuLeuProLeuArgGluHisArgAlaLeu275280285ArgThrLeuGlyLeuIleMetGlyIlePheSerLeuCysTrpLeuPro290295300PhePheLeuAlaAsnValLeuArgAlaLeuAlaGlyProSerLeuVal305310315320ProSerGlyValPheIleAlaLeuAsnTrpLeuGlyTyrAlaAsnSer325330335AlaPheAsnProValIleTyrCysArgSerProAspPheArgAspAla340345350PheArgArgLeuLeuCysSerTyrGlyGlyArgGlyProGluGluPro355360365ArgAlaValThrPheProAlaSerProValGluAlaArgGlnSerPro370375380ProLeuAsnArgPheAspGlyTyrGluGlyAlaArgProPheProThr385390395400(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:6:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 1218 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:6:ATGGCTCCGTGGCCTCCTGGGAACAGCTCTCTGACCCCGTGGCCAGATATCCCCACCCTG60GCACCCAATACTGCCAACGCGAGTGGGCTGCCAGGGGTGCCCTGGGCGGTGGCGCTGGCG120GGGGCGCTGTTGGCGCTAGCGGTGCTGGCCACCGTGGGAGGCAACCTGCTGGTAATCGTG180GCCATCGCCCGGACGCCGAGACTCCAGACCATGACCAACGTGTTCGTGACTTCGCTGGCC240ACAGCCGACCTGGTGGTGGGGCTCCTGGTCGTGCCCCCGGGGGCCACGTTGGCGCTGACC300GGCCACTGGCCCCTGGGCGTCACCGGTTGCGAGCTGTGGACCTCAGTGGACGTGCTGTGT360GTGACCGCCAGCATCGAAACCCTGTGCGCCCTGGCGGTGGACCGCTACCTGGCCGTGACC420AACCCGCTGCGCTACGGCGCGCTGGTCACCAAACGCCGCGCCCTAGCAGCCGTGGTCCTG480GTGTGGGTGGTGTCCGCCGCGGTGTCGTTTGCGCCCATCATGAGCAAATGGTGGCGCATC540GGGGCCGATGCCGAGGCGCAGCGTTGCCACTCCAACCCGCGCTGCTGCACCTTCGCCTCC600AACATGCCCTACGCGCTGCTCTCCTCCTCGGTCTCGTTCTATCTTCCGCTCCTGGTGATG660CTCTTCGTCTACGCACGAGTTTTCGTGGTGGCCACGCGCCAGCTGCGCTTGCTGCGCCGG720GAGCTGGGTCGCTTCCCGCCAGAGGAGTCTCCGCCGGCTCCTTCTCGCTCCGGATCCCCT780GGCCTGGCGGGGCCGTGCGCCTCGCCCGCGGGGGTGCCCTCCTACGGCCGGCGGCCGGCG840CGCCTTCTGCCTCTGCGGGAACACCGCGCCCTGCGCACCTTGGGGCTCATCATGGGAACC900TTCACTCTCTGCTGGTTGCCTTTCTTTGTGGTCAACGTGGTGCGCGCCCTCGGGGGCCCC960TCTCTGGTGTCCGGCCCCACTTTCCTCGCCCTTAACTGGCTGGGCTATGCCAACTCTGCC1020TTCAACCCGCTCATCTACTGCCGCAGCCCGGACTTTCGGAGCGCCTTCCGCCGCCTGCTG1080TGTCGCTGCCGGCCGGAGGAGCACCTCGCCGCTGCCTCCCCGCCCCGAGCCCCCTCCGGC1140GCCCCCACGGCCCTGACCAGCCCCGCTGGCCCCATGCAGCCCCCAGAGCTCGACGGGGCT1200TCCTGCGGACTTTCTTAG1218(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:7:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 1227 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:7:ATGGCTCCGTGGCCTCACGAGAACAGCTCTCTTGCCCCATGGCCGGACCTCCCCACCCTG60GCGCCCAATACCGCCAACACCAGTGGGCTGCCAGGGGTTCCGTGGGAGGCGGCCCTAGCC120GGGGCCCTGCTGGCGCTGGCGGTGCTGGCCACCGTGGGAGGCAACCTGCTGGTCATCGTG180GCCATCGCCTGGACTCCGAGACTCCAGACCATGACCAACGTGTTCGTGACTTCGCTGGCC240GCAGCCGACCTGGTGATGGGACTCCTGGTGGTGCCGCCGGCGGCCACCTTGGCGCTGACT300GGCCACTGGCCGTTGGGCGCCACTGGCTGCGAGCTGTGGACCTCGGTGGACGTGCTGTGT360GTGACCGCCAGCATCGAAACCCTGTGCGCCCTGGCCGTGGACCGCTACCTGGCTGTGACC420AACCCGCTGCGTTACGGGGCACTGGTCACCAAGCGCTGCGCCCGGACAGCTGTGGTCCTG480GTGTGGGTCGTGTCGGCCGCGGTGTCGTTTGCGCCCATCATGAGCCAGTGGTGGCGCGTA540GGGGCCGACGCCGAGGCGCAGCGCTGCCACTCCAACCCGCGCTGCTGTGCCTTCGCCTCC600AACATGCCCTACGTGCTGCTGTCCTCCTCCGTCTCCTTCTACCTTCCTCTTCTCGTGATG660CTCTTCGTCTACGCGCGGGTTTTCGTGGTGGCTACGCGCCAGCTGCGCTTGCTGCGCGGG720GAGCTGGGCCGCTTTCCGCCCGAGGAGTCTCCGCCGGCGCCGTCGCGCTCTCTGGCCCCG780GCCCCGGTGGGGACGTGCGCTCCGCCCGAAGGGGTGCCCGCCTGCGGCCGGCGGCCCGCG840CGCCTCCTGCCTCTCCGGGAACACCGGGCCCTGTGCACCTTGGGTCTCATCATGGGCACC900TTCACTCTCTGCTGGTTGCCCTTCTTTCTGGCCAACGTGCTGCGCGCCCTGGGGGGCCCC960TCTCTAGTCCCGGGCCCGGCTTTCCTTGCCCTGAACTGGCTAGGTTATGCCAATTCTGCC1020TTCAACCCGCTCATCTACTGCCGCAGCCCGGACTTTCGCAGCGCCTTCCGCCGTCTTCTG1080TGCCGGTGCGGCCGTCGCCTGCCTCCGGAGCCCTGCGCCGCCGCCCGCCCGGCCCTCTTC1140CCCTCGGGCGTTCCTGCGGCCCGGAGCAGCCCAGCGCAGCCCAGGCTTTGCCAACGGCTC1200GACGGGGCTTCTTGGGGAGTTTCTTAG1227(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:8:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 24 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid(A) DESCRIPTION: /desc = &#34;synthetic DNA primer&#34;(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:8:GGTGGCGACGACTCCTGGAGCCCG24(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:9:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 24 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: other nucleic acid(A) DESCRIPTION: /desc = &#34;synthetic DNA primer&#34;(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:9:TTGCACCCAGACCAACTGGTAATG24__________________________________________________________________________