Identification of an alternatively spliced form of the Tat Interactive Protein (Tip60), Tip60(β)

Abstract

Tip60 was originally isolated as a Tat interactive protein. It was subsequently shown that Tip60 had histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity. In studies to understand gene-expression regulation that might involve HAT activity, we PCR-amplified Tip60 from a human heart marathon-ready cDNA library. As a result, we identified an alternatively spliced form of Tip60, Tip60β (we refer to the previously cloned Tip60 as Tip60α). Tip60β cDNA is slightly smaller than Tip60α, and sequencing indicates that there is a deletion of 156 bp in the coding region of the gene. The predicted Tip60β protein therefore lacks 52 amino acids when compared with Tip60α. The Tip60α gene is encoded by 14 exons, and Tip60β is an alternatively spliced form resulting from the exclusion of exon 5 during the splicing process. Exon 5 encodes a proline-rich region that is known to be important for protein–protein interaction. Tip60β is expressed in a variety of human tissues and cell lines, and the protein is present in both the nucleus and cytoplasm in contrast to Tip60α, which is entirely nuclear. The results suggest that Tip60β may have functions additional to those of Tip60α in cells and tissues.