CLONING OF A MEMBER OF THE ARRESTIN FAMILY FROM A HUMAN THYROID CDNA LIBRARY

We used the cDNA of human retinal arrestin as a probe to screen a human thyroid cDNA library. We isolated and plaque-purified one clone (hTHY-ARRX). The nucleotide sequence of the 1.8 kb cDNA insert had an open reading frame of 1227 bp coding for a protein of 409 amino acids. Northern blot analysis revealed a single transcript of 1.7 kb in human thyroid cells. There is significant homology between amino acid sequences of human thyroid arrestin and human retinal arrestin (63%) and bovine beta-arrestin (74%), respectively. The hTHY-ARRX cDNA was stably transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells already expressing a functional human thyrotropin (TSH) receptor. The cAMP response to TSH stimulation was unaltered in these cells, and homologous desensitization to TSH stimulation was not restored. It is not presently known whether hTHY-ARRX is human beta-adrenergic arrestin or a new member of the arrestin family.