Intelectin 2 (ITLN2)

By searching databases for homologs of Xenopus XL35, followed by PCR and screening of various cDNA libraries, Lee et al. (2001) cloned human ITLN1 and ITLN2, which they called HL1 and HL2, respectively. The predicted 325-amino acid ITLN2 protein has an N-terminal signal peptide, a transmembrane domain, a short cytoplasmic tail, and an N-glycosylation site. It shares 85% amino acid identity with ITLN1. Northern blot analysis revealed strong expression of a 1.3-kb transcript exclusively in small intestine.

Immunohistochemical analysis of jejunal tissue demonstrated Itln2 expression in goblet and Paneth cells. Similar analyses, along with genomic PCR and Southern blot confirmation, revealed that Itln2 expression was absent in the T. spiralis-susceptible C57BL/10 mouse strain.