Phosphodiesterase 4A, cAMP Specific (PDE4A)

Cyclic nucleotides are important second messengers that regulate and mediate a number of cellular responses to extracellular signals, such as hormones, light, and neurotransmitters. Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) regulate the cellular concentrations of cyclic nucleotides and thereby play a role in signal transduction.

PDE4A is a class IV cAMP-specific PDE . The major transcript encodes a deduced 779-amino acid protein with 2 N-terminal domains that share a high degree of conservation with other DPDE proteins, and a C-terminal catalytic domain. Northern blot analysis detected a 4.5-kb DPDE2 transcript in normal human temporal cortex. RNase protection assays showed that DPDE2 was expressed in 6 of 7 cell lines examined.