title: A novel family of mitochondrial proteins is represented by the Drosophila genes slmo, preli-like and real-time.
abstract: Mitochondria play essential roles in development and disease. The characterisation of mitochondrial proteins is therefore of particular importance. The slowmo (slmo) gene of Drosophila melanogaster has been shown to encode a novel type of mitochondrial protein, and is essential in the developing central nervous system. The Slmo protein contains a conserved PRELI/MSF1p' domain, found in proteins from a wide variety of eukaryotic organisms. However, the function of the proteins of this family is currently unknown. In this study, the evolutionary relationships between members of the PRELI/MSF1p' family are described, and we present the first analysis of two novel Drosophila genes predicted to encode proteins of this type. The first of these, preli-like (prel), is expressed ubiquitously during embryonic development, whilst the second, real-time (retm), is expressed dynamically in the developing gut and central nervous system. retm encodes a member of a novel conserved subclass of larger PRELI/MSF1p' domain proteins, which also contain the CRAL-TRIO motif thought to mediate the transport of small hydrophobic ligands. Here we provide evidence that, like Slmo, both the Prel and Retm proteins are localised to the mitochondria, indicating that the function of the PRELI/MSF1p' domain is specific to this organelle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK.
authors.forename: Chris T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Dee
authors.forename: Kevin G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Moffat
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000196:embryology; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C493340:APBB1IP protein, human; D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C098342:Retn protein, Drosophila; C504898:prel protein, Drosophila; C504899:retm protein, Drosophila; C497469:slmo protein, Drosophila