Differential expression of cytochrome P450 2C24 transcripts in rat kidney and prostate: evidence indicative of alternative and possibly trans splicing events

Abstract

The Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE) procedure was used in order to investigate the heterogeneity of the 5' region of the cytochrome P450 2C24 transcripts. This methodology revealed that in male kidney sequences typical of an exon 1 predominate. In the prostate though, instead of exon 1, several sequences indicative of alternative splicing events and possibly differential promoter usage were identified. Furthermore, both in prostate and kidney, transcripts having upstream of exon 2, exon 4 sequences were also observed. This implies that either the 2C24 gene is a nontypical P450 gene having exon 4 sequences both upstream and downstream of exon 2 or that trans splicing of canonical P450 2C24 primary transcripts occurs in these tissues.