Expression of stathmin family genes in human tissues: non-neural-restricted expression for SCLIP

Genomics. 2003 Apr;81(4):400-10. doi: 10.1016/s0888-7543(03)00031-4.

Abstract

The stathmin family consists of phosphoproteins highly conserved in vertebrates and thought to be implicated in the development and functional regulation of various organs, most notably the nervous system. This family includes stathmin, SCG10, SCLIP, and RB3, phosphoproteins that are related by structural and functional homologies. They all sequester tubulin and interfere with microtubule dynamics, a property due to their shared stathmin-like domain. Little is known about the expression of the stathmin gene family in humans. Herein, we describe for the first time, for a collection of human tissues, the expression of each member of this family, using real-time quantitative RT-PCR. We found that stathmin is ubiquitously expressed, whereas SCG10 and RB3 are neural enriched, expression patterns similar to those reported for other mammals. Surprisingly, SCLIP, whose expression is thought to be neural-specific, exhibits a broader tissue distribution. Analyses of the SCLIP gene (approved symbol STMN3) show that it contains several NRSE-like elements that display low or no affinity for the cognate binding protein NRSF. The substantial expression of SCLIP in most tissues points out a novel function for this protein outside the nervous system and raises the possibility that its coexpression with stathmin could provide some degree of functional redundancy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Carrier Proteins
  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Microtubule Proteins*
  • Multigene Family / genetics*
  • Nerve Growth Factors / genetics*
  • Nervous System / chemistry
  • Phosphoproteins / genetics*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Stathmin

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Carrier Proteins
  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Microtubule Proteins
  • Nerve Growth Factors
  • Phosphoproteins
  • STMN1 protein, human
  • STMN2 protein, human
  • STMN3 protein, human
  • STMN4 protein, human
  • Stathmin
  • Stmn2 protein, rat
  • Stmn3 protein, rat