title: Cloning and characterization of the Drosophila presenilin homologue.
abstract: Mutations in two genes, PS1 and PS2, coding for the presenilins, have been linked to the early onset form of familial Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we report the identification of a Drosophila melanogaster homologue of human PS genes, Dps, which maps to band 77B-C on chromosome 3 and is expressed at multiple developmental stages. The predicted amino acid sequence of the Dps product is 53% identical to human presenilins, with the greatest similarity in the putative transmembrane domains, the hydrophobic domains at the beginning and the end of the cytoplasmic TM6-TM7 loop and the C-terminus. Analysis of Dps in a genetically tractable model system such as Drosophila may provide insight into the mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) necessary for the development of rational therapeutic approaches.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Physiology and Zoology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Boulianne
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Livne-Bar
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Humphreys
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rogaev
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: St George-Hyslop
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D053764:Presenilin-1; D053766:Presenilin-2; D053763:Presenilins; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C508853:PSEN1 protein, human; C508861:PSEN2 protein, human; D053764:Presenilin-1; D053766:Presenilin-2; D053763:Presenilins; C106427:Psn protein, Drosophila