A novel class of murine POU gene predominantly expressed in central nervous system

A mouse gene (referred to as Emb) encoding a novel class of POU domain is described. The Emb POU domain shares only 40-50% homology to that of any other POU proteins. Nonetheless, the Emb POU domain can bind to the octamer sequence like other POU domains. Emb is a single-copy gene, located on the distal region of mouse chromosome 15. It is expressed in embryo throughout post-implantation stages, where the most prominent expression is seen in developing central nervous system. In the adult, it is highly expressed in brain, whereas weaker expression can be detected in other organs such as testis, skeletal muscle, and kidney. The expression in adult brain is most evident in neurons of hypocampus formation. Two types of Emb mRNA are expressed in brain; one type encodes a protein of 301 amino acids residues, whereas the other codes for a protein with two extra amino acids residues added at the amino-terminal end of POU domain. These two mRNA species are generated by alternative splicing by utilizing an unusual splice acceptor site: CCTCCCTCTG/. Emb mRNA expressed in testis, on the other hand, encodes a smaller protein lacking most of the amino-terminal region.