Vasoactive intestinal peptide gene: putative mechanism of information storage at the RNA level

J Neurochem. 1987 Apr;48(4):1136-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1987.tb05638.x.

Abstract

The human gene coding for vasoactive intestinal peptide was recently isolated and shown to contain seven exons. We now demonstrate that an intron-containing precursor RNA can be the major vasoactive intestinal peptide-related RNA in the cell, which is in contrast to most known genes. By RNA blot analysis using a variety of genomic and cDNA-related probes we show that in a human tumor producing vasoactive intestinal peptide, most of the RNA encoding the peptide is of the precursor type. Similar precursor transcripts were found in total rat brain RNA as well. A proof of the identity of the intron-containing RNA, cDNA clones corresponding to this RNA sequence have been isolated.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Brain Chemistry
  • Cell Line
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA / genetics
  • Exons
  • Humans
  • Introns
  • Molecular Weight
  • Mouth Neoplasms
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • RNA / genetics*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Rats
  • Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / genetics*

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger
  • Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide
  • RNA
  • DNA