Multiple alternative splicing and differential expression patterns of the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) gene in Schizothorax prenanti

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a key protein kinase involved in numerous cellular processes, including embryonic development, protein synthesis, glycogen metabolism, mitosis and apoptosis. However, our knowledge of Schizothorax prenanti GSK-3 is very limited. In this study, we cloned and characterized the S. prenanti GSK3β gene. Using qPCR, we found that the GSK3β gene was widely expressed in eleven tissues of S. prenanti and had especially high expression levels in the liver and brain. Moreover, we screened and sequenced more than 100 positive clones to identify the alternative transcripts of GSK3β. Five novel isoforms of GSK3β were identified in different S. prenanti tissues; these were different from the GSK3β isoforms previously reported in the other species. We named the five transcripts as GSK3β1, GSK3β2, GSK3β3, GSK3β4 and GSK3β5. These consisted of 1266, 1153, 902, 836 and 654 base pairs, respectively. Our studies provide useful information for further research on the S. prenanti GSK3β gene.