Identification of a new RTN3 transcript, RTN3-A1, and its distribution in adult mouse brain

Abstract: The Reticulon (RTN) family of proteins is thought to play important roles in the regulation of neuronal regeneration. In this study, we have identified a novel alternative splicing isoform of the RTN gene family, RTN3-A1, which contains an additional 2.3-kb exon. The transcripts of human and mouse RTN3-A1 (about 5.0 kb) were first discovered by database sequence mining and analysis, and verified by cloning and sequencing. Northern blot analysis of 16 human tissues with a common probe of RTN3 transcripts and a specific probe for RTN3-A1 demonstrated that human RTN3-A1 is expressed mainly in brain tissues with a weak expression in the skeletal muscle. With Western blot analysis, the expected 100-kDa RTN3-A1 protein was detected in mouse brain. In situ hybridization with a mouse RTN3-A1-specific cRNA probe revealed that the mouse RTN3-A1 mRNA was regionally expressed in the neurons of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and cerebellum of the adult mouse brain. In contrast to the transcripts of RTN1 and RTN2, RTN3-A1 shares some significant similarity with RTN4-A in exon structure, tissue distribution, and brain expression profile. Since other reports have shown that RTN4-A inhibits neuronal outgrowth and restricts the plasticity of the central nervous system, we speculate that RTN3-A1 might play certain roles in the central nervous system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]