Objective: To clone and characterize the cDNA encoding feline interleukin-5 (IL-5) cDNA and the 170 basepairs (bp) of the 5' flanking region of the feline IL-5 gene.
Sample population: Blood mononuclear cells from a healthy cat.
Procedures: Cells were cultured, stimulated for 48 hours with concanavalin A, and harvested for RNA and DNA isolation. Recovered RNA was used in northern blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses. Resulting cDNA was used for rapid amplification of 3' cDNA ends, dideoxy chain termination sequencing, and primer extension analysis.
Results: Full length cDNA was 838 bp, including a 402-bp open reading frame that encoded a precursor protein of 134 amino acids including a putative peptide signal of 19 residues. Homologies of the nucleotide and derived protein sequences between feline and human IL-5 cDNA were 72 and 71%, respectively. There also was homology between the human and predicted feline cytokines at amino acid positions that are critical for IL-5 receptor binding and signal transduction. The 5' flanking region of the feline gene was homologous to corresponding regions of the human (88%) and murine (72%) genes, and included putative transcriptional regulatory elements.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: Identification of feline IL-5 cDNA is an important step toward a detailed, fully comprehensive characterization of the mechanisms that may be operative in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic disorders in cats. The striking homology between the human and feline IL-5 genes suggests that cats can be used as animal models for human diseases characterized by eosinophil infiltration of tissues.