Isoforms of the human ets-1 protein: generation by alternative splicing and differential phosphorylation

The ets-1 gene belongs to the ets gene family (ets-1, ets-2, erg, and elk) and is homologous to the v-ets oncogene found in the avian leukemia virus E26. The ets-1 gene products were characterized using a specific monoclonal antibody developed against a bacterially expressed v-ets protein. The ets-1 gene product in the human T-cell line CEM was found to consist of at least six species: four major species with apparent molecular weights of 51 kDa (p51), 48 kDa (p48), 42 kDa (p42), and 39 kDa (p39); and two minor species of 52 kDa (pp52) and 49 kDa (pp49), which are demonstrated to be the phosphorylated forms of p51 and p48, respectively. All of the ets-1 proteins are related to each other and are considered products of the ets-1 gene. Subcellular localization showed that the pp52 and p51 are found mainly in the cytoplasm, while p48 and p39 are found mainly in the nucleus. Specific antibodies against various exons of ets-1 showed that both p42 and p39 lack a region corresponding to exon VII. Polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed the presence of an additional RNA product that corresponds to mRNA lacking exon VII. These results suggest that the human ets-1 gene encodes multiple proteins that are generated by at least two distinct mechanisms: alternative splicing of mRNA and protein phosphorylation.