Alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing contribute to mRNA heterogeneity of mouse monocarboxylate transporter 2.

Expression patterns of monocarboxylate transporter 2 (MCT2) display mRNA diversity in a tissue-specific fashion. We cloned and characterized multiple mct2 5'-cDNA ends from the mouse and determined the structural organization of the mct2 gene. We found that transcription of this gene was initiated from five independent genomic regions that spanned >80 kb on chromosome 10, resulting in five unique exon 1 variants (exons 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and 1e) that were then spliced to the common exon 2.