Molecular cloning, characterization and developmental expression of porcine beta-synuclein.

The synuclein family includes three known proteins: alpha-synuclein, beta-synuclein and gamma-synuclein. beta-Synuclein inhibits the aggregation of alpha-synuclein, a protein involved in Parkinson's disease. We have cloned and characterized the cDNA sequence for porcine beta-synuclein (SNCB) from pig cerebellum using RT-PCR. Expression analysis by quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated that SNCB transcripts were highly abundant in brain tissues. SNCB mRNA was also detected early in embryogenesis and significant increases in transcript levels were observed in several brain tissues during embryo development. Radiation hybrid mapping data indicate that the porcine SNCB maps to the q arm of chromosome 2 (2q21-22). The subcellular localization of recombinant porcine beta-synuclein was determined in three different cell types and shown to be cytoplasmic.