Abstract

Mammalian apolipoprotein B (apo B) mRNA undergoes site-specific C to U deamination which is mediated by a multicomponent enzyme complex containing a minimal core composed of apobec-1 and a complementation factor, ACF. We have isolated and characterized the human ACF gene and examined its tissue-specific and developmental expression. The ACF gene spans ∼ 80 kb and contains 15 exons, three of which are non-coding. Multiple alternative splice acceptor sites were found, generating at least nine different transcripts. Of these, the majority (∼ 75-89%) encode functional protein. In order to examine the role of ACF mRNA expression in the regulation of apo B mRNA editing, we examined a panel of fetal intestinal and hepatic mRNAs as well as RNA from an intestinal cell line. A developmental increase in C to U RNA editing has been previously noted in the human intestine. In both instances, the pattern of alternative splicing and overall abundance of ACF mRNA was relatively constant during development in both liver and small intestine. Taken together, the data demonstrate a complex pattern of differential, tissue-specific splicing of ACF mRNA, but suggest that other mechanisms are responsible for the developmental increase noted in intestinal apo B mRNA editing in humans.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)22-30
Number of pages9
JournalBiochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Structure and Expression
Volume1522
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 11 2001

Keywords

  • Alternative splicing
  • Apolipoprotein B
  • Gene structure
  • RNA editing
  • RNA-binding protein

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