Synthesis of turkey Pit-1 mRNA variants by alternative splicing and transcription initiation

The gene encoding turkey Pit-1/GHF-1 (tPit-1) spans approximately 12 kilobases (kb) and consists of 7 exons. One exon, which is located between exons 2 and 3, is designated exon 2a and codes for 38 amino acids not found in mammalian Pit-1. Because all tPit-1 variants contain exon 2a, they are denoted with an asterisk (*) to distinguish them from comparable mammalian Pit-1s. Three tPit-1 variants are generated by alternative splicing and transcription initiation. Splicing of exon 1 to an alternative acceptor splice site in exon 2 results in a 28 amino acid insertion in tPit-1beta* relative to tPit-1*. A transcript unique to the turkey has been identified by RT-PCR and RNase mapping. This transcript, designated tPit-1W*, arises following transcription initiation upstream of the alternative acceptor splice site in exon 2. In turkey pituitary, the mRNA for the tPit-1* variant is the most abundant, the tPit-1W* variant is intermediate, and the tPit-1beta* variant is the least abundant.