title: Alternative splicing of natriuretic peptide A and B receptor transcripts in the rat brain.
abstract: 1. In the present study we searched for variants of alternative splicing of guanylyl cyclase A and B mRNA in rats in vivo. 2. Guanylyl cyclase A2 and guanylyl cyclase B2 isoforms of guanylyl cyclase produced by alternative splicing leading to the deletion of exon 9 of both transcripts were quantified in several rat organs. 3. Only one alternative splicing was found in the regulatory domain, encoded by exons 8-15. 4. Quantification of the guanylyl cyclase B2 isoform in different rat organs and in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells showed that this alternative splicing was tissue-specific and occurred predominantly in the central nervous system where the alternatively spliced variant represented more than 50% of the guanylyl cyclase B mRNA. 5. The same alternative splicing existed for guanylyl cyclase A mRNA but at very low levels in the organs studied. 6. Alternative splicing of guanylyl cyclase B exon 9 in the brain may play an important role in signal transduction, since the expressed protein possesses a constitutionally active guanylyl cyclase acting independently of C-type natriuretic peptide regulation.
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche, Hotel-Dieu de Montreal, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Francoeur
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gossard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hamet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tremblay
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000378:metabolism; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017461:Receptors, Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D017461:Receptors, Atrial Natriuretic Factor