Expression of Golli mRNA during development in primary immune lymphoid organs of the rat

The gene-of-the-oligodendrocyte lineage (Golli)-MBP transcription unit cont ains three Golli-specific exons together with eight exons of the "classical " myelin basic protein (MBP) gene, yielding alternatively spliced proteins which share amino acid sequence with MBP. Unlike MBP, a late antigen expres sed only in the nervous system, Golli gene products are expressed pre- and post-natally at many sites. In this study, we determined the sequence of Go lli in rat by RT-PCR and 5' RACE and showed that Golli sequences are expres sed in primary lymphoid organs as early as e16.5. which could explain the a nergic rat T cell response we previously observed in Golli-induced meningit is. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.