Prevalent skipping of an individual exon accounts for shortened protein 4.1 Presles

An asymptomatic shortened variant of protein 4.1 (-8.5 Kd) was first recognized in the red blood cells and designated protein 4.1 Presles. We show here that the missing segment belongs to the 22/24 Kd domain. Protein 4.1 cDNA from reticulocytes was amplified, mapped, and sequenced. The truncation appeared to result from the prevalent skipping of an individual and alternatively spliced exon, also called motif II, whereas this motif is preferentially retained under normal conditions. The same phenomenon was observed in lympho-blastoid cells. Sequencing over 80 bp of intronic sequences 5′ and 3′ of motif II failed to reveal any change. A new alternative splice site was incidently found 81 nucleotide downstream of motif II in both normal and truncated 4.1 mRNA.