Tissue-specific expression of the two isoforms of the mitochondrial phosphate carrier in bovine tissues

Comparison of the sequence of the human mitochondrial phosphate carrier (PiC) gene with cDNA clones characterised from a human heart cDNA library suggested the existence of two isoforms of the PiC, which were generated by alternative splicing of exon IIIA or exon IIIB and which differed in 13 amino acids [Dolce et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 10451]. In this work the expression of isoforms A and B of the PiC was investigated in different bovine tissues by Northern blot analysis using two probes that are specific for bovine exon IIIA and exon IIIB, respectively. Isoform A is highly expressed in heart and skeletal muscle. Isoform B is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues that were examined, although at different levels. The tissue-specific expression pattern of the two PiC isoforms is similar to that reported for the isoforms of several mitochondrial proteins required for energy production.