Cloning, functional expression and tissue distribution of human α1C-adrenoceptor splice variants

AbstractWe report the cloning and characterization of two isoforms of human α1C-adrenoceptor cDNA (α1C-2, αC-3). These isoforms are generated by alternative splicing and differ from the clone we previously isolated (α1C-1) in their length and sequences of the C-terminal domain. Tissue distribution of mRNAs showed that these variants co-express with α1C-1 in the human heart, liver, cerebellum and cerebrum. Despite the structural differences, functional experiments in transfected CHO cells showed that the three isoforms have similar ligand binding properties, and all couple with phospholipase C/Ca2+ signaling pathway