Rat connexins 30.3 and 31 are expressed in the kidney

Six connexin genes have previously been shown to be expressed in the rat kidney. Given the structural and functional diversity of the kidney, we hypothesize that other connexin genes may be expressed. We have partially screened a rat kidney cDNA library using low-stringency hybridization conditions with cDNA probes from rCx 43 and rCx 26 and report here the isolation of two connexin cDNA clones, rCx 30.3 and rCx 31, that have not previously been shown to be expressed in the rat kidney. Furthermore, rCx 30.3 utilizes two distinct transcripts in the kidney, while rCx 31 utilizes two transcripts in skin but only one in the kidney.