Abstract

Several synexin (annexin VII) mRNAs have been identified by screening a human fibroblast cDNA library. One type of message contained an alternatively spliced cassette exon, predicting two isoforms of synexin differing in the N-terminal domain. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of synexin mRNA from various fetal and adult tissues, from human and monkey, revealed that the alternative splicing event is tissue-regulated; synexin mRNA containing the cassette exon is prevalent in brain, heart, and skeletal muscle. This is supported by Western blot analysis showing that muscle synexin (annexin VIIb) is larger than synexin from lung (annexin VIIa). The muscle and lung isoforms have the same molecular mass as the recombinant synexins expressed in Escherichia coli using cDNAs containing or lacking the cassette exon, respectively. The difference in size is consistent with the molecular masses predicted from the proteins encoded by the alternatively spliced synexin mRNAs. Another type of synexin mRNA contained a longer 3'-noncoding region generated by the selection of an alternate poly(A) signal. Northern analysis of human fibroblast RNA showed the presence of two bands (2.0- and 2.4-kilobase) when hybridized to a cDNA fragment of the coding region of synexin, but only the 2.4-kilobase band hybridized to a probe made from the longer 3' end.