p73 is a p53 family transcription factor. Due to the presence in the 5' flanking 
region of two promoters, there are two N-terminal variants, TAp73, which retains 
a fully active transactivation domain (TA), and ΔNp73, in which the N terminus 
is truncated. In addition, extensive 3' splicing gives rise to at least seven 
distinctive isoforms; TAp73-selective knockout highlights its role as a 
regulator of cell death, senescence and tumor suppressor. ΔNp73-selective 
knockout, on the other hand, highlights anti-apoptotic function of ΔNp73 and its 
involvement in DNA damage response. In this work, we investigated the expression 
pattern of murine p73 C-terminal isoforms. By using a RT-PCR approach, we were 
able to detect mRNAs of all the C-terminal isoforms described in humans. We 
characterized their in vivo expression profile in mouse organs and in different 
mouse developmental stages. Finally, we investigated p73 C-terminal expression 
profile following DNA damage, ex vivo after primary cultures treatment and in 
vivo after systemic administration of cytotoxic compounds. Overall, our study 
first elucidates spatio-temporal expression of mouse p73 isoforms and provides 
novel insights on their expression-switch under triggered conditions.