Expression of two different products of CDC25Mm, a mammalian Ras activator, during development of mouse brain.

The CDC25Mm gene codes for Ras-guanine nucleotide exchange factors. Four different full-length cDNA clones derived from the same gene and coding for proteins of different sizes that have in common the last 661 amino acids have been isolated from mouse brain. In order to investigate the expression of the products of this gene in different tissues we have prepared two polyclonal antibodies directed toward two different regions of the protein comprised in the last C-terminal 472 amino acids. While in most of the tested tissues we have been unable to definitely identify CDC25Mm products, in NIH3T3 fibroblasts we have found a poorly expressed 120-kDa protein. In the mouse brain we have identified two proteins of 140 and 58 kDa. While the former is expressed in the adult mouse, the latter is present in the embryo and persists for few days after birth. This finding suggests that differential expression of various forms of CDC25Mm may be involved in brain development.