title: Alternative Splicing of the Amelogenin Gene in a Caudate Amphibian, Plethodon cinereus.
abstract: As the major enamel matrix protein contributing to tooth development, amelogenin has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in tooth enamel formation. Previous studies have revealed amelogenin alternative splicing as a mechanism for amelogenin heterogeneous expression in mammals. While amelogenin and its splicing forms in mammalian vertebrates have been characterized, splicing variants of amelogenin gene still remains largely unknown in non-mammalian species. Here, using PCR and sequence analysis we discovered two novel amelogenin transcript variants in tooth organ extracts from a caudate amphibian, the salamander Plethodoncinereus. The one was shorter -S- (416 nucleotides including untranslated regions, 5 exons) and the other larger -L- (851 nt, 7 exons) than the previously published "normal" gene in this species -M- (812 nucleotides, 6 exons). This is the first report demonstrating the amelogenin alternative splicing in amphibian, revealing a unique exon 2b and two novel amelogenin gene transcripts in Plethodoncinereus.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Xinping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zeli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Xichen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lisai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Thomas G H
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Diekwisch
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D053523:Amelogenin / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D029845:Amphibian Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D000663:Amphibians / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D053523:Amelogenin; D029845:Amphibian Proteins