Identification and expression of alternative splice variants of the mouse Ppp1r3b gene in lung epithelial cells

Hepatic glycogen-targeting subunit GL of protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), which is encoded by the gene Ppp1r3b, is one of a family of proteins that target PP1 to glycogen and regulate its activity on enzymes of glycogen metabolism. GL is primarily expressed in the liver where it promotes hepatic glycogen synthesis in response to insulin. Here, we show that GL is highly expressed in embryonic mouse lungs. GL utilizes two alternative promoters and 5′ non-coding exons, which produce at least three alternatively spliced transcripts that encode identical proteins. Expression of GL in the lung is detectable as early as embryonic day (E) 12.5 and increases by E16.5, however, it declines before birth. In situ hybridization of mouse embryonic lung revealed that GL is expressed in bronchial epithelial cells. Thus, the temporal and spatial expression of GL in the lung suggests that it has a potential role in glycogen metabolism during lung development.