Expression analysis of the human adducin gene family and evidence of ADD2 beta4 multiple splicing variants
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data
Published on: June 24, 2021
Lorena Citterio1, Laura Tizzoni, Marco Catalano
1Division of Nephrology, Dialysis and Hypertension, Università Vita-Salute, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy. lorena.citterio@hsr.it
Abstract:
Adducin is a cytoskeleton heterodimeric protein. Its subunits are encoded by three related genes (ADD1, ADD2, and ADD3) which show alternative spliced variants. Adducin polymorphisms are involved in blood pressure regulation in humans and rats. We have analyzed mRNA distribution of ADD gene family in human tissues and cells with Real-Time TaqMan RT-PCR. Whereas ADD1 is ubiquitously distributed, ADD3 is more expressed in kidney medulla and cortex than in fetal kidney, while in adult liver it is less abundant than in fetal liver. ADD2 beta1 and beta4 variants show the same pattern of distribution with the highest expression in brain, fetal liver, and kidney. Conventional RT-PCR identified new beta4 variants. Beta4a is characterized by an in-frame insertion of 21 nucleotides upstream exon 15 predicting a 7 amino acids longer protein with a similar C-terminus region. It is coexpressed with beta1 and beta4 in several tissues. Fetal kidney shows further beta4b, beta4c and beta4d variants containing internal exon deletions that enormously modify the predicted NH(2) and central regions. Our findings could help one to understand the functional role of adducin variants in specific tissues and cells.
Related Concept Videos
Alternative RNA Splicing
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
RNA Splicing
RNA Editing
General Transcription Factors
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
The chromatin structure, especially...

