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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Methods to Discover Alternative Promoter Usage and Transcriptional Regulation of Murine Bcrp1
Published on: May 27, 2016
Alternative exon usage selectively determines both tissue distribution and subcellular localization of the acyl-CoA
M C Hunt1, S Greene, K Hultenby
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Chemistry C1- 74, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital at Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Acyl-CoA thioesterases (ACOTs) catalyze the hydrolysis of acyl-CoAs to free fatty acids and coenzyme A. Recent studies have demonstrated that one gene named Acot7, reported to be mainly expressed in brain and testis, is transcribed in several different isoforms by alternative usage of first exons. Strongly decreased levels of ACOT7 activity and protein in both mitochondria and cytosol was reported in patients diagnosed with fatty acid oxidation defects, linking ACOT7 function to regulation of fatty acid oxidation in other tissues. In this study, we have identified five possible first exons in mouse Acot7 (Acot7a-e) and show that all five first exons are transcribed in a tissue-specific manner. Taken together, these data show that the Acot7 gene is expressed as multiple isoforms in a tissue-specific manner, and that expression in tissues other than brain and testis is likely to play important roles in fatty acid metabolism.
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