The pink gene encodes the Drosophila orthologue of the human Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome 5 (HPS5) gene.
Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) consists of a set of human autosomal recessive disorders, with symptoms resulting from defects in genes required for protein trafficking in lysosome-related organelles such as melanosomes and platelet dense granules. A number of human HPS genes and rodent orthologues have been identified whose protein products are key components of 1 of 4 different protein complexes (AP-3 or BLOC-1, -2, and -3) that are key participants in the process. Drosophila melanogaster has been a key model organism in demonstrating the in vivo significance of many genes involved in protein trafficking pathways; for example, mutations in the "granule group" genes lead to changes in eye colour arising from improper protein trafficking to pigment granules in the developing eye. An examination of the chromosomal positioning of Drosophila HPS gene orthologues suggested that CG9770, the Drosophila HPS5 orthologue, might correspond to the pink locus. Here we confirm this gene assignment, making pink the first eye colour gene in flies to be identified as a BLOC complex gene.
Syrzycka
Monika
M
Simon Fraser University, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
McEachern
Lori A
LA
Kinneard
Jennifer
J
Prabhu
Kristel
K
Fitzpatrick
Kathleen
K
Schulze
Sandra
S
Rawls
John M
JM
Lloyd
Vett K
VK
Sinclair
Donald A R
DA
Honda
Barry M
BM
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D019556:COS Cells; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D022861:Hermanski-Pudlak Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C493900:HPS5 protein, human; C523996:p protein, Drosophila