摘要

Background: Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3 alpha and GSK3 beta) are serine/threonine kinases involved in numerous cellular processes and diverse diseases including mood disorders, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cancer. However, in pigs, the information on GSK3 is very limited. Identification and characterization of pig GSK3 are not only important for pig genetic improvement, but also contribute to the understanding and development of porcine models for human disease prevention and treatment. Methodology: Five different isoforms of GSK3 beta were identified in porcine different tissues, in which three isoforms are novel. These isoforms had differential expression patterns in the fetal and adult of the porcine different tissues. The mRNA expression level of GSK3 beta isoforms was differentially regulated during the course of the insulin treatment, suggesting that different GSK3 beta isoforms may have different roles in insulin signaling pathway. Moreover, GSK3 beta 5 had a different role on regulating the glycogen synthase activity, phosphorylation and the expression of porcine GYS1 and GYS2 gene compared to other GSK3 beta isoforms. Conclusions: We are the first to report five different isoforms of GSK3 beta identified from the porcine different tissues. Splice variants of GSK3 beta exhibit differential activity towards glycogen synthase. These results provide new insight into roles of the GSK3 beta on regulating glycogen metabolism.

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