DIFFERENTIAL SPLICING OF THE GLYCOPHORIN-A MESSENGER-RNA

Two truncated mRNAs, in contrast to the full length of mRNA associated with the glycophorin A gene (GpA-TI, GpA-TII), were isolated from erythroid cells cultured by the selective two-phase liquid culture system for erythroid progenitors in peripheral blood from a normal individual. The GpA-TI mRNAs displayed a direct transition from exon I to exon III, so that the deletion of exon II resulted in the deletion of 33 amino acids encoded by this exon. Furthermore, the GpA-TII showed two direct transitions from exon I to exon III and from exon III to the exon V of the GpA gene. This mRNA lacked both exons II and VI, resulting in the deletion of 46 amino acids. Is is concluded that these truncated mRNAs are transcribed from the same gene as the GpA gene and correspond to splicing isoforms lacking different exons.