Expression pattern of NuIP gene in adult mouse brain.

We previously reported the identification of the Nurr1 interacting protein (NuIP) that was demonstrated to modulate the transcriptional activity of Nurr1, the orphan nuclear receptor required for midbrain dopaminergic neuron differentiation. NuIP was also cloned by others and referred to as a small G protein signaling modulators. The open reading frame of NuIP predicts a protein with an N-terminal RUN domain (RPIP8, UNC-14, and NESCA) and a C-terminal TBC domain (Tre-2, Bub2, and Cdc16) both of which are found in proteins of the GTPase activating protein (GAP) family, involved in the GTPase signaling pathway. To characterize the NuIP gene product, we developed a polyclonal antibody. Since NuIP gene is expressed most abundantly in adult and the level of expression during development is below the detection limit of immunohistochemistry, we now report the expression pattern of NuIP in adult mouse brain compared with the expression pattern of Nurr1 protein. Many regions co-expressed Nurr1 and NuIP including cortex, hippocampus, substantia nigra, and the cerebellum. However, there are also regions that exclusively express NuIP such as striatum, septum, globus pallidus, and the reticular thalamic nucleus. We also find that NuIP protein expresses mainly in NeuN-positive (neuronal nuclei) neurons but can be detected in GFAP-positive (glial fibrillary acidic protein) glial cells in hippocampus. Interestingly, NuIP is expressed in high levels in midbrain dopaminergic neurons including ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic neurons but is not expressed or expressed in low levels in other dopaminergic neurons such as olfactory bulb and hypothalamus. Overall, the expression pattern of NuIP in adult mouse brain suggests that it may be involved in motor activity control in basal ganglia as well as higher central nervous system (CNS) functions such as cognition and memory in cortex and hippocampus.

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