| First Author | Esumi S | Year | 2005 |
| Journal | Nat Genet | Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 171-6 |
| PubMed ID | 15640798 | Mgi Jnum | J:96434 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3530431 | Doi | 10.1038/ng1500 |
| Citation | Esumi S, et al. (2005) Monoallelic yet combinatorial expression of variable exons of the protocadherin-alpha gene cluster in single neurons. Nat Genet 37(2):171-6 |
| abstractText | Diverse protocadherin-alpha genes (Pcdha, also called cadherin-related neuronal receptor or CNR) are expressed in the vertebrate brain. Their genomic organization involves multiple variable exons and a set of constant exons, similar to the immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) genes. This diversity can be used to distinguish neurons. Using polymorphisms that distinguish the C57BL/6 and MSM mouse strains, we analyzed the allelic expression of the Pcdha gene cluster in individual neurons. Single-cell analysis of Purkinje cells using multiple RT-PCR reactions showed the monoallelic and combinatorial expression of each variable exon in the Pcdha genes. This report is the first description to our knowledge of the allelic expression of a diversified receptor family in the central nervous system. The allelic and combinatorial expression of distinct variable exons of the Pcdha genes is a potential mechanism for specifying neuron identity in the brain. |
