Cloning and Characterization of myr 6, an Unconventional Myosin of the Dilute/Myosin-V Family

We have isolated cDNAs encoding a second member of the dilute (myosin-V) unconventional myosin family in vertebrates, myr 6 (myosin from rat 6). Expression of myr 6 transcripts in the brain is much more limited than is the expression of dilute, with highest levels observed in choroid plexus and components of the limbic system. We have mapped the myr 6 locus to mouse chromosome 18 using an interspecific backcross. The 3$^{\prime}$ portion of the myr 6 cDNA sequence from rat is nearly identical to that of a previously published putative glutamic acid decarboxylase from mouse [Huang, W. M., Reed-Fourquet, L., Wu, E. & Wu, J. Y. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 8491-8495].