title: Animal and plant members of a gene family with similarity to alkaloid-synthesizing enzymes.
abstract: Here we describe novel members of a gene family which have similarity to strictosidine synthase (SS), one of the key enzymes in the production of monoterpene indole alkaloids. In addition to the first animal member of the family described previously (Drosophila hemomucin), a second Drosophila member has been identified, which appears to differ in subcellular distribution from hemomucin. In Arabidopsis, SS-like genes form a multigene family, compatible with a possible function as antifeedants and antibacterial compounds. In Caenorhabditis, two members have been identified and one member each in mouse and human. Interestingly, the human SS-like gene is strongly expressed in the brain, the very organ many of the indole alkaloids act upon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied and Molecular Ecology, Department of Soil and Water, Glen Osmond, South Australia, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Delp
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Theopold
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics; D019759:Carbon-Nitrogen Lyases / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009077:Mucins / Q000235:genetics*; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C100329:Hmu protein, Drosophila; D009077:Mucins; D019759:Carbon-Nitrogen Lyases; C022684:strictosidine synthetase