A novel species-specific RNA related to alternatively spliced amyloid precursor protein mRNAs.

Using an S1 nuclease protection assay, we have identified a novel "variant" Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) RNA in human brain which is 3-6-fold more abundant than APP-770, but less abundant than APP-751 or APP-695. This variant, referred to as amyloid precursor-related protein 365 (APRP-365), is not detected in mouse and rat brain RNAs. A 1.6 kilo-basepair cDNA clone corresponding to this variant APP RNA predicts the existence of a 365 amino acid protein that is similar to the amino-terminal end of APP-770 but lacks the beta-amyloid peptide and any hydrophobic transmembrane spanning domains. In a modified polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we used amplification of reverse transcribed mRNA to confirm and extend our S1 observations. Together, the features of APRP-365 suggest that the human variant is a soluble protein containing a Kunitz protease inhibitor domain.