Possible involvement of the 440 kDa isoform of ankyrinB in neuritogenesis in human neuroblastoma NB‐1 cells

Abstract

Two isoforms of brain ankyrin, 440 kDa and 220 kDa ankyrinB, which are products of alternatively spliced pre-mRNA encoded by a single gene, are both expressed in human neuroblastoma NB-1 cells. Expression of the polypeptide and mRNA of the larger isoform increased upon induction of neurite outgrowth in NB-1 cells by dibutyryl cAMP, while those of the smaller isoform were unaffected. The expressed 440 kDa ankyrinB was concentrated at the tip of growing neurites and was partly co-localized with GAP-43. These results suggest that 440 kDa ankyrinB is one of the neuronal growth-associated proteins and provides an interesting example of gene regulation by alternative splicing in neuronal cells