Two catalytic subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase generated by alternative RNA splicing are expressed in Aplysia neurons

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 1; no. 9; p. 853
• Main Authors: Beushausen, S, Bergold, P, Sturner, S, Elste, A, Roytenberg, V, Schwartz, J H, Bayley, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-11-1988
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Aplysia - cytology; Aplysia - metabolism; Base Sequence; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Neurons - metabolism; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Protein Kinases - genetics; Protein Kinases - metabolism; RNA - metabolism; RNA Splicing; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
• ISSN: 0896-6273
• DOI: 10.1016/0896-6273(88)90133-X

The amino acid sequences of two catalytic (C) subunits of Aplysia cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) have been deduced from the nucleotide sequences of cDNAs generated from neuronal poly(A)+ RNA. Both subunits contain 352 residues and are identical except for amino acids 142-183, which differ at 10 out of 42 positions. They derive from alternatively spliced transcripts of a single gene (CAPL) containing two mutually exclusive exon cassettes. CAPL transcripts are present in several classes of identified neurons containing transmitter-sensitive adenylate cyclase, including sensory cells, bag cells, and the left pleural giant cell. Combinatorial expression of the various regulatory (R) and C subunits might produce kinase isoforms with distinct roles in neuronal modulation. Alternatively, holoenzymes with overlapping properties together might contribute to the definition of individual cell types and physiological states.