Three isoforms of synaptotagmin, a synaptic vesicle protein involved in neurotransmitter release, have been characterized in the rat, although functional differences between these isoforms have not been reported. In situ hybridization was used to define the localization of synaptotagmin I, II, and III transcripts in the rat CNS and pituitary and adrenal glands. Each of the three synaptotagmin genes has a unique expression pattern. The synaptotagmin III gene is expressed in most neurons, but transcripts are much less abundant than the products of the synaptotagmin I and II genes. A majority of neurons in the forebrain expressed both synaptotagmin I and III mRNAs while synaptotagmin II gene expression was confined to subsets of neurons in layers IV-VI of the cerebral cortex, in the dentate granule cell region, the hilus, and the CA1-CA3 areas of the hippocampus. In the cerebellum, all three transcripts were visualized in the granule cell layer. Furthermore, synaptotagmin I probes revealed striking differences between distinct populations of neurons, as in addition to moderate labeling of granule cells, much more prominent hybridization signals were detected on scattered cell bodies likely to be Golgi interneurons. In the most caudal part of the brain, synaptotagmin II transcripts were abundant and were coexpressed with synaptotagmin III mRNAs. This pattern was found in putative motoneurons of the spinal cord, suggesting that the two isoforms might be involved in exocytosis at the neuromuscular junction. Only synaptotagmin I mRNAs were detected in the anterior and intermediate pituitary and in adrenal medullary cells. These data reveal an unexpectedly subtle segregation of the expression of synaptotagmin genes and the existence of multiple combinations of synaptotagmin isoforms which may provide diversity in the regulation of neurosecretion.

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