ISOLATION AND EXPRESSION OF THE INTERLEUKIN‐2 GENE FROM THE KILLER WHALE, ORCINUS ORCA

• Published in: Marine Mammal Science
• Main Authors: Ness, Traci L., Bradley, W. Guy, Reynolds, John E., Roess, William B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1998
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Killer Whale; Orca; Orcinus orca; Killer whale
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.1998.tb00740.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1748-7692.1998.tb00740.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1748-7692.1998.tb00740.x

A bstract Complementary DNA encoding interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) was isolated, cloned, and sequenced from the killer whale, Orcinus orca . The sequence of the killer whale IL‐2 coding region consists of 455 nucleotides which translate into a polypeptide containing 151 amino acids. Killer whale IL‐2 displays 88%, 88%, 87%, 87%, 85%, 84%, 80%, and 71% nucleotide sequence homology and 76%, 76%, 76%, 73%, 68%, 73%, 64%, and 56% amino acid homology with the cow, sheep, pig, red deer, horse, human, manatee, and mouse, respectively. High levels of killer whale recombinant IL‐2 were generated by transiently transfecting killer whale IL‐2/pCMV Blue plasmid DNA into cultured monkey kidney cells (Cos‐1). Generation of this recombinant IL‐2 will allow the development of assays useful for assessing IL‐2 levels in the serum and from isolated lymphocytes of killer whales and possibly other species of cetaceans. A major contribution and significance of the in vitro expression of killer whale IL‐2 exists in its potential to be used as a therapeutic agent.