Using specific antibodies against isoforms of WAVE (WASP [Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein] family Verprolinhomologous protein, also called Scar), we demonstrated that human platelets express all 3 isoforms. With the use of an in vitro pull-down technique, the src homology 3 (SH3) domain of insulin receptor substrate p53 (IRSp53) precipitated WAVE2 from platelet lysates more efficiently than di...

The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger is a major transporter of Ca2+ in neurons and glial cells. The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger gene NCX1 expresses tissue-specific isoforms of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, and the isoforms have been examined here quantitatively using primary cultures of astrocytes and neurons. We present a PCR-based quantitative method, quantitative end-labeled reverse transcription-PCR (QERT-PCR), to dete...

Metallothioneins (MTs) are proteins known to be involved in defense mechanisms against heavy metals and reactive oxygen species. In human, more than ten MT isoform genes have been identified, in contrast to much fewer isoforms in other mammalian species. The increased number of isoforms in human may have some biological significance; for example, isoforms may have been functionally differentiat...

We investigated the expression and functional properties of slow skeletal troponin T (sTnT) isoforms in rat skeletal muscles. Four sTnT cDNAs were cloned from the slow soleus muscle. Three isoforms were found to be similar to sTnT1, sTnT2, and sTnT3 isoforms described in mouse muscles. A new rat isoform, with a molecular weight slightly higher than that of sTnT3, was discovered. This fourth iso...

MeCP2 is a critical epigenetic regulator in brain and its abnormal expression or compromised function leads to a spectrum of neurological disorders including Rett Syndrome and autism. Altered expression of the two MeCP2 isoforms, MeCP2E1 and MeCP2E2 has been implicated in neurological complications. However, expression, regulation and functions of the two isoforms are largely uncharacterized. P...

AIM To investigate the expression of CD44 isoforms containing variant exon 6 (v6) in a well characterised cohort of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), and to correlate this with phenotype and disease course. METHODS Cryostat sections of OCT embedded diagnostic nodal material from NHL patients and cryopreserved mononuclear preparations from CLL ...

Cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein 1 (CREB1) plays multiple functions as a transcription factor in gene regulation. CREB1 proteins are also known to be expressed in several spliced isoforms that act as transcriptional activators or repressors. The activator isoforms, possessing the functional domains for kinase induction and for interaction with other transcriptional regulators, act ...

The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone induces metamorphosis in insects. The receptor for the hormone is the ecdysone receptor, a heterodimer of two nuclear receptors, EcR and USP. In Drosophila the EcR gene encodes 3 isoforms (EcR-A, EcR-B1 and EcR-B2) that vary in their N-terminal region but not in their DNA binding and ligand binding domains. The stage and tissue specific distribution of the...

The CD45 tyrosine phosphatase plays an important role in regulating T lymphocyte activation, but the function of the different isoforms of CD45 is not known. T cell transfectants have been prepared that express individual CD45 isoforms in cells with a well-defined T cell receptor (TCR) from the D10 T helper 2 clone. We find that cells bearing low molecular weight CD45 isoforms are far more effi...

Sp3 is a ubiquitous transcription factor closely related to Sp1. Both proteins contain a highly conserved DNA-binding domain close to the C terminus and two glutamine-rich domains in the N-terminal moiety. Immunoblot analyses of Sp3 reveal a striking complex protein pattern of up to eight distinct species. This pattern is not observed in Sp3-deficient cell lines showing that all signals reflect...