title: Drosophila neurotactin, a surface glycoprotein with homology to serine esterases, is dynamically expressed during embryogenesis.
abstract: Drosophila neurotactin is a transmembrane glycoprotein with an apparent molecular mass of 135 x 10(3). Neurotactin is regionally expressed at the cellular blastoderm stage; later in embryogenesis the expression of the protein becomes restricted to cells of the peripheral and central nervous system. Immunocytochemical localization shows neurotactin protein at points of cell-cell contact. Using the anti-neurotactin monoclonal antibody BP-106, a neurotactin cDNA was isolated that encodes a 846 residue polypeptide. The chromosomal location of the neurotactin gene is 73C. The extracellular domain at the carboxyterminal end of the neurotactin protein shows a strong structural and sequence homology to serine esterases without retaining the amino acids forming the active center. Neurotactin therefore belongs to a growing group of proteins including Drosophila glutactin and thyroglobulins that are known to share this serine esterase protein domain motif without retaining the active center of the enzyme.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hortsch
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bieber
authors.forename: Z R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Traquina
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Goodman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004950:Esterases / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C066176:Nrt protein, Drosophila; D004950:Esterases; C022635:serine esterase