A novel gene involved in zinc transport is deficient in the lethal milk mouse.
We have identified the gene responsible for the inherited zinc deficiency in the lethal milk (lm) mouse. The gene, here designated Znt4, encodes a 430-amino-acid protein that is homologous to two proteins, ZnT2 and ZnT3, responsible for sequestration of zinc into endosomal/lysosomal compartments and synaptic vesicles, respectively. We show that the Znt4 gene confers zinc resistance to a zinc-sensitive yeast strain and that it is abundantly expressed in the mammary epithelia and brain. The lethal milk mutant has a nonsense mutation at arginine codon 297 in the Znt4 gene.
Huang
L
L
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA.
Gitschier
J
J
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics; D015032:Zinc / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism
D001798:Blood Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C491597:SLC30A4 protein, human; C109053:Slc30a4 protein, mouse; C044791:erythrocyte membrane band 4.2 protein; D015032:Zinc