© 2004 The Japanese Biochemical Society
BIOCHEMISTRY |
Expression and Function of Slit1
, a Novel Alternative Splicing Product for Slit1
Department of Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531
Slits are large molecular and extracellular glycoproteins that may function as chemorepellents in axon guidance and neural cell migration. The heterogeneity of the mRNA for slit has been described. Its variants indicate considerable potential for alternative splicing, resulting in the generation of multiple protein isoforms. We examined the regions in which these isoforms are expressed, and identified the highest expression of a splicing product for slit1 in rat brain rather than in other organs. The splicing product, Slit1
, arises through alternative splicing at the C-terminus of Slit1, causing defects in the cysteine knot domain. We show that slit1 exists in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex in rat brain by in situ hybridization, and that it acts as a chemorepellent in olfactory bulb axon guidance in vitro. These findings suggest that Slit1 is an active Slit1 protein specific in the vertebrate nervous system.
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