The enzyme dUTPase has an essential role in maintaining genomic integrity. In mouse,
nuclear and mitochondrial isoforms of the enzyme have been described. Here we present
the isoform-specific mRNA expression levels in different murine organs during development
using RT-qPCR. In this study, we analyzed organs of 14.5-day embryos and of postnatal
2-, 4-, 10-week- and 13-month-old mice. We demonstrate organ-, sex- and developmental
stage-specific differences in the mRNA expression levels of both isoforms. We found
high mRNA expression level of the nuclear isoform in the embryo brain, and the expression
level remained relatively high in the adult brain as well. This was surprising, since
dUTPase is known to play an important role in proliferating cells, and mass production
of neural cells is completed by adulthood. Thus, we investigated the pattern of the
dUTPase protein expression specifically in the adult brain with immunostaining and
found that dUTPase is present in the germinative zones, the subventricular and the
subgranular zones, where neurogenesis occurs and in the rostral migratory stream where
neuroblasts migrate to the olfactory bulb. These novel findings suggest that dUTPase
may have a role in cell differentiation and indicate that accurate dTTP biosynthesis
can be vital, especially in neurogenesis.
