Mouse Tspan-5, a member of the tetraspanin superfamily, is highly expressed in brain cortical structures

Using a subtractive hybridization method for the identification of genes re lated to the development of the murine cerebral cortex, we cloned a mouse h omologue of a human tetraspanin family member, Tspan-5. We have isolated a 3.1 Kb cDNA fragment containing the entire coding region. Analysis of the c DNA nucleotide sequence revealed that mouse Tspan-5 shares 98% amino acid s equence identity with its human homologue. The predicted length of the mous e protein is 268 amino acids, with four putative hydrophobic domains with N - and C-intracellular tails, and two extracellular domains. Northern blot a nalysis of adult mouse tissues showed a single transcript, which is prefere ntially expressed in the brain. In situ hybridization showed prominent expr ession of Tspan-5 in the neocortex, the hippocampus, amygdala and in Purkin je cells in the cerebellum. The pattern of expression of Tspan-5 in the mou se brain suggests a role for the tetraspanins in the maintenance of adult b rain function. NeuroReport 11:3181-3185 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilk ins.