[Expression of a splice-variant of the mts1 gene in normal and tumorous human tissue].

Data on cloning of cDNA corresponding to human mts1 gene transcripts are presented. By comparing nucleotide sequences of the genomic DNA clone and cDNA of mts1, it was shown that human osteosarcoma OHS cells contain two alternative splice variants of mts1 transcripts. Alternative splicing occurs in the 5'-untranslated region of the mts1 pre-mRNA. Both splice variants, hu-mts1 and hu-mts1(var), demonstrate similar stability in the cells, and each contains one open reading frame for the MTS1 protein. However, the two types of transcripts are translated with different effectiveness. The level of transcription of mts1 splice variants in different normal and neoplastic tissues and cell lines varies significantly. The role of alternative splicing as the mechanism responsible for posttranscriptional regulation of mts1 gene expression is discussed.