title: Molecular cloning and characterization of the human diacylglycerol kinase beta (DGKbeta) gene: alternative splicing generates DGKbeta isotypes with different properties.
abstract: Diacylglycerol kinases are key modulators of levels of diacylglycerol, a second messenger involved in a variety of cellular responses to extracellular stimuli. A number of diacylglycerol kinases encoded by separate genes are present in mammalian genomes. We have cloned cDNAs encoding several isoforms of the human homologue of the rat diacylglycerol kinase beta gene and characterized two such isoforms that differ at their carboxyl terminus through alternative splicing and the usage of different polyadenylation signals. Quantitative analysis of gene expression in a panel of human tissue cDNAs revealed that transcripts corresponding to both isoforms are co-expressed in central nervous system tissues and in the uterus, with one variant being expressed at relatively higher levels. As green fluorescent protein fusions, the two isoforms displayed localization to different subcellular compartments, with one variant being associated with the plasma membrane, while the other isoform was predominantly localized within the cytoplasm. Differences were also observed in their subcellular localization in response to phorbol ester stimulation. Enzymatic assays demonstrated that the two isoforms display comparable diacylglycerol kinase activities. Therefore, the human diacylglycerol kinase beta gene can generate several enzyme isoforms, which can display different expression levels and subcellular localization but similar enzymatic activities in vitro.
authors.affiliation: GlaxoSmithKline Systems Research and Department of Biology, Via Fleming 4, 37135 Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caricasole
authors.forename: Ezio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bettini
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Renza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roncarati
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caldara
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Georg C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Terstappen
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D019852:Diacylglycerol Kinase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010703:Phorbol Esters / Q000494:pharmacology; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D010703:Phorbol Esters; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D012313:RNA; D019852:Diacylglycerol Kinase