Expression of actin isoforms in developing rat intestinal epithelium

A minimum of six very similar but distinct actin isoforms are encoded by the mammalian genome. Developmental regulation of these genes results in a tissue-specific distribution of the isoforms in the adult. Using a panel of actin specific monoclonal antibodies (MAb), we recently reported the expression of two unique actin isoforms in adult rat intestinal brush border. In this report, we examine the developmental expression of these and other actin isoforms in rat intestinal epithelial cells. Isoforms containing the HUC 1-1 and/or C4 epitopes are present by day 15 of gestation and are continuously expressed throughout adult life. Unexpectedly, the gamma-enteric smooth muscle isoactin, defined by the B4 epitope, is transiently expressed in these non-muscle cells late in gestation. The alpha-vascular smooth muscle isoform, however, is not expressed in intestinal epithelial cells during development and, as previously reported, both smooth muscle isoforms are absent in epithelial cells of adult intestine. In addition, we demonstrate that although multiple isoforms are expressed simultaneously in these cells, they are not uniformly distributed at the subcellular level, suggesting that the cell recognizes the actin isoforms as functionally distinct entities.