PERSYN, A MEMBER OF THE SYNUCLEIN FAMILY, HAS A DISTINCT PATTERN OF EXPRESSION IN THE DEVELOPING NERVOUS-SYSTEM

The synucleins are a unique family of small intracellular proteins tha t have recently attracted considerable attention because of their invo lvement in human neurodegenerative diseases. We have cloned a new memb er of the synuclein family called persyn. In contrast to other synucle ins, which are presynaptic proteins of CNS neurons, persyn is a cytoso lic protein that is expressed predominantly in the cell bodies and axo ns of primary sensory neurons, sympathetic neurons, and motoneurons. N orthern blotting, in situ hybridization, Western blotting, and immunoh istochemistry revealed that persyn mRNA and protein are expressed in t hese neurons from the earliest stages of axonal outgrowth and are main tained at a high level throughout life. Persyn also becomes detectable in evolutionary recent regions of the brain by adulthood.