title: Not growth associated protein GAP-43 (B-50), but its fragment GAP-43-3 (B-60) predominates in rat brain during development.
abstract: The participation of the nerve termini growth associated protein GAP-43 in neurite outgrowth and targeting is well documented. Commonly, besides GAP-43 itself, two big fragments devoid of four (GAP-43-2, IB-50) and of about 40 (GAP-43-3, B-60) N-terminal residues were co-isolated from brain. In adult brain, GAP-43 significantly prevails over the fragments. To find their relative amounts during development, rat brain proteins were isolated on different stages of embryonal and post-natal development and subjected to gel electrophoresis in 0.9 M acetic acid-2.5 M urea system. The bands of GAP-43 protein family were detected on Western blots. We show that in developing brain (until 5th post-natal day), a proteolysis of GAP-43 near Ser(41) that results in GAP-43-3 accumulation is activated. We hypothesize that just the functions that can be performed by the GAP-43 fragments are of importance for developing brain.
authors: Division of Molecular and Radiation Biophysics, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute RAS, 188300 Gatchina distr., Leningrad, Russia. mm5768@mm5768.spp.edu
authors: M I
authors: MI
authors: Mosevitsky
authors: E S
authors: ES
authors: Konovalova
authors: N K
authors: NK
authors: Bitchevaya
authors: B I
authors: BI
authors: Klementiev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D020033:Protein Isoforms