title: Human synemin gene generates splice variants encoding two distinct intermediate filament proteins.
abstract: Intermediate filament (IF) proteins are constituents of the cytoskeleton, conferring resistance to mechanical stress, and are encoded by a dispersed multigene family. In man we have identified two isoforms (180 and 150 kDa) of the IF protein synemin. Synemin alpha and beta have a very short N-terminal domain of 10 amino acids and a long C-terminal domain consisting of 1243 amino acids for the alpha isoform and 931 amino acids for the beta isoform. An intronic sequence of the synemin beta isoform is used as a coding sequence for synemin alpha. Both mRNA isoforms (6.5 and 7.5 kb) result from alternative splicing of the same gene, which has been assigned to human chromosome 15q26.3. Analyses by Northern and Western blot revealed that isoform beta is the predominant isoform in striated muscles, whereas both isoforms (alpha and beta) are present in almost equal quantities in smooth muscles. Co-transfection and immunolabeling experiments indicate that both synemin isoforms are incorporated with desmin to form heteropolymeric IFs. Furthermore synemin and desmin are found aggregated together in certain pathological situations.
authors.affiliation: Biologie Moléculaire de la Différenciation, Université Denis-Diderot-Paris 7, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Titeux
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brocheriou
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pellissier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guicheney
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paulin
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002884:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006801:Humans; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C430456:desmuslin