Differential expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-2 isoforms in rat urinary bladder and intestine

Dolatshad, N. F. and Saffrey, M. J. (2007). Differential expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-2 isoforms in rat urinary bladder and intestine. Neuroscience Letters, 415(3) pp. 215–218.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2007.01.024

Abstract

Neurturin (NTN) is a member of the glial cell line-derived (GDNF) family of neurotrophic factors, which act via a receptor complex composed of a signal transducing receptor, c-Ret and a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked ligand binding receptor, GFR alpha. Different members of the GDNF family bind preferentially to one of four different GFR alpha receptors; NTN binds preferentially to the GFR alpha-2 receptor. Recent evidence
has shown that three alternatively spliced isoforms of GFR alpha-2 occur in rodent tissues, including the rat brain, myenteric plexus and kidney, and several mouse tissues. Here we have examined the occurrence of GFR alpha-2 isoforms in the adult male rat urinary bladder by RT-PCR, in parallel with samples from the muscularis externa of the rat ileum. In contrast to the ileum, only a single GFR alpha-2 isoform, the smallest isoform, known as GFR alpha-2c, was detected in the rat urinary bladder. This differential expression of GFR alpha-2 transcripts in bladder and intestine may be related to differences in the roles of NTN in the two tissues and its actions on the neurons that innervate them.

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