Molecular cloning of a phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C from catfish olfactory rosettes

A 2.7 kb clone encoding the partial (about 66%) sequence of a phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) was isolated from a cDNA library constructed from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) olfactory rosettes. The clone, designated 30c7, was completely sequenced by automated DNA sequencing and was found to share significant homology with rat and bovine PLCs of the delta 1 isotype. In situ hybridization showed that 30c7 transcripts were expressed in a small subpopulation of olfactory neurons, as well as in other cell types in the olfactory epithelium. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis indicated that the enzyme was also expressed in several additional tissues, including brain, gill, heart, liver and skeletal muscle. These results suggest that the PLC encoded by clone 30c7 is expressed in several tissues and therefore may have a role in mediating transduction events in diverse tissues as well as in a small group of olfactory neurons.