Cloning of a rat-specific long PCP4/PEP19 isoform

We report the identification of a cDNA that encodes a putative protein of 94 amino acids and expected molecular weight of 10.7 kDa, the C-terminal half of which is identical to that of PEP19, a small, brain-specific protein involved in Ca++/calmodulin signaling. The novel rat-specific protein, tentatively named long PEP19 isoform (LPI), is the product of alternative splicing of the rat PCP4 gene encoding PEP19. We found that antibodies raised against the first 13 N-terminal amino acids of LPI, not present in PEP19, recognize a protein enriched in the developing rat brain.

Cloning and analysis of cDNA for rat histone H1°

Expression of synapsin I gene in primary cultures of differentiating rat cortical neurons

Synapsin I is a neuron-specific protein which is present in two isoforms, Ia and Ib. In the last few years this protein has been demonstrated to play a central role in the regulation of neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. In this paper the developmental expression of this protein has been investigated in primary neuronal cultures from fetal rat brain cortices. The presence of thyroid hormone in the culture medium stimulates an early expression of the protein without exerting any effect at the level of mRNA transcription and accumulation. These observations implicate a T3-dependent regulation of this neuron-specific gene at the level of mRNA translation. © 1995 Plenum Publishin…