Ectopic transcription and the possibility of RNA editing of the human arrestin gene

Purpose: To investigate the ectopic transcription of arrestin in various human organs and tissues.Methods: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the ectopic transcription of the arrestin gene in the retina, anterior capsule of the lens, iris, bulbar conjunctiva, muscle, skin, placenta, intestine, and human blood. In addition, we examined the expression of arrestin mRNA isolated from whole blood cells of patients with Oguchi disease who had the 1147delA mutation in the arrestin gene.Results: Arrestin was expressed at the mRNA level in all our samples. The mRNA isolated from the blood cells of Oguchi patients was not associated with the same 1147delA mutation as was reported earlier in the arrestin gene but had the normal sequence.Conclusions: These results demonstrate the ectopic transcription of the arrestin gene in various tissues and also suggest the possibility of RNA editing in the blood cells of Oguchi patients. Copyright (C) 1999 Japanese Ophthalmological Society.