Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
11:22
Quantitative Analysis of Alternative Pre-mRNA Splicing in Mouse Brain Sections Using RNA In Situ Hybridization Assay
Published on: August 26, 2018
Regional and developmental brain expression patterns of SNAP25 splice variants
Gerald R Prescott1, Luke H Chamberlain
1Centre for Integrative Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Hugh Robson Building, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
BMC Neuroscience
|April 30, 2011
Summary
New antibodies reveal distinct protein expression patterns for SNAP25a and SNAP25b isoforms in developing and adult rat and human brains, suggesting unique functional roles.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- SNAP25 is a crucial SNARE protein for neuronal exocytosis.
- Differential splicing yields SNAP25a and SNAP25b isoforms, differing by 9 amino acids.
- Previous studies relied on mRNA analysis, potentially overlooking protein-level regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate and characterize antibodies specific to SNAP25a and SNAP25b.
- To investigate the distinct protein expression profiles of SNAP25 isoforms in rat and human brain.
- To explore developmental and regional differences in SNAP25 isoform expression.
Main Methods:
- Generation and validation of isoform-specific antibodies for SNAP25a and SNAP25b.
- Immunohistochemical analysis of protein expression in rat and human brain tissues.
- Quantitative assessment of SNAP25 isoform abundance across different brain regions and developmental stages.
Main Results:
- SNAP25b protein expression significantly increased during rat post-natal development across multiple brain regions.
- SNAP25a showed more modest and variable developmental expression, with very low levels in cerebellum.
- SNAP25b was the dominant isoform in all examined adult human brain regions.
Conclusions:
- SNAP25a and SNAP25b exhibit distinct developmental and regional expression patterns in mammalian brain.
- These differential expression profiles suggest unique functional roles for each SNAP25 isoform in brain membrane fusion.
- The developed antibodies are valuable tools for future research on SNAP25 isoform function.
Related Concept Videos
02:18Alternative RNA Splicing
Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
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...
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...
02:18Alternative RNA Splicing
Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
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...
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...
01:32RNA Splicing
Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
01:32RNA Splicing
Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
01:32Pre-mRNA Processing: RNA Splicing
Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...