Cloning and characterization of a putative mouse acetyl-CoA transporter cDNA

A mouse acetyl-CoA transporter (Acatn) cDNA was isolated by PCR cloning. Mouse Acatn exhibited 92% homology with human sequence on the basis of amino-acid sequence. The predicted gene product of Acatn is a 61 kDa hydrophobic protein with six to 10 transmembrane domains. Transfection of mouse Acatn cDNA into HeLa/GT3(+) cells resulted in significant increase in the amount of 9-O-acetylated gangliosides, suggesting that Acatn does play an important role in the acetylation of gangliosides. Northern blot analysis of Acatn mRNA suggested that transcript of Acatn is widely distributed in various adult tissues. Expression of Acatn was found to be developmentally regulated, with high expression levels during early embryonic stages, and then there was a subsequent decrease in expression levels in the later embryonic stages.