Tissue-specific initiation of murine complement factor B mRNA transcription

Factor B (Bf) gene expression is regulated independently in hepatic and extrahepatic tissues. In studying murine factor B expression, we found two mature mRNA species for Bf in kidney and intestine (2.7 and 2.4 kb) but in other tissues, including liver, lung, spleen, heart, brain, and skeletal muscle, only a single Bf transcript (2.4 kb) was observed. These two Bf transcripts in kidney or intestine are identical in structure except for a 300 bp 5' extension found in the 2.7-kb mRNA. The long Bf transcript originates from a tissue-specific alternative site of transcriptional initiation upstream of the initiation site for the 2.4-kb mRNA, as determined by primer extension and nuclease protection assays. The upstream initiation site lacks a typical promoter motif and is only 80 bp downstream from the terminus of the murine C2 gene. After stimulation in vivo with endotoxin, only the 2.4-kb mRNA increases in kidney indicating independent regulation of the two Bf transcripts. The differences in 5' untranslated region generated in these two Bf mRNA species may affect local concentrations of factor B protein in kidney and intestine by mechanisms depending on differential translation rates or stability of mRNA.