Schematic diagram representing the mRNA structure (exon 4 to 6 are shown) of EpoR and soluble EpoR (sEpoR). Primers specific to EpoR bind to exon 5 (EpoR forward) and to the exon 5 – exon 6 junction (EpoR reverse). Primers specific to sEpoR bind to exon 4 (sEpoR forward) and to the exon 5 – exon 5a junction (sEpoR reverse). Exon 5a corresponds to intron 5, which is retained in sEpoR mRNA and contains an in-frame stop codon that results in the translation of EPOR lacking the transmembrane and cytosolic domains [69]. To access the data, click or select the words “Appendix 1.”