Molecular cloning of interleukin-12 receptor β2 chain and its expression in dogs

This study cloned canine interleukin-12 receptor beta2 (IL-12Rβ2). Its nucleotide sequences were determined. Canine IL-12Rβ2 showed 85.4% homology at the nucleotide level and 76.8% homology at the amino acid level with human IL-12Rβ2. Its structural motifs were well conserved. We also cloned cDNA with a 91-bp deletion including the transmembrane region, which produced a frame shift and an early stop codon. Examination of the expression of deleted canine IL-12Rβ2 mRNA revealed that both deleted and intact mRNAs were expressed at a constant ratio in all the dogs. Results suggested that expression of the deleted mRNA was constitutive and produced by alternative splicing.