title: Unusual alternative splicing within the human kallikrein genes KLK2 and KLK3 gives rise to novel prostate-specific proteins.
abstract: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and human kallikrein 2 are closely related products of the human kallikrein genes KLK3 and KLK2, respectively. Both PSA and human kallikrein 2 are produced and secreted in the prostate and have important applications in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. We report here the identification of unusual mRNA splice variants of the KLK2 and KLK3 genes that result from inclusion of intronic sequences adjacent to the first exon. The novel proteins encoded by these transcripts, named PSA-linked molecule (PSA-LM) and hK2-linked molecule (K-LM), share only the signal peptide with the original protein product of the respective gene. The mature proteins are entirely different and bear no similarity to the kallikrein family or to other proteins in the databases. As is the case with PSA, PSA-LM is expressed in the secretory epithelial cells of the prostate and is up-regulated in response to androgenic stimulation. A similar pattern of expression is suggested for K-LM.
authors.affiliation: Compugen Ltd., 72 Pinchas Rosen St., Tel Aviv 69512, Israel.
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mabjeesh
authors.forename: Idit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Azar
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biton
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Avidor
authors.forename: Tova
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Waks
authors.forename: Zelig
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Eshhar
authors.forename: Salomon Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lifschitz-Mercer
authors.forename: Haim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matzkin
authors.forename: Galit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rotman
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toporik
authors.forename: Kinneret
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Savitsky
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mintz
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007610:Kallikreins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen