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Drosophila retinophilin contains MORN repeats and is conserved in humans

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Abstract

The function of conserved novel human genes can be efficiently addressed in genetic model organisms. From a collection of genes expressed in the Drosophila visual system, cDNAs expressed in vertebrates were identified and one similar to a novel human gene was chosen for further investigation. The results reported here characterize the Drosophila retinophilin gene and demonstrate that a similar gene is expressed in the human retina. The Drosophila and human retinophilin sequences are 50% identical, and they share an additional 16% conserved substitutions. Examination of the cDNA and genomic sequence indicates that it corresponds to the gene CG10233 of the annotated genome and predicts a 22.7 kDa protein. Polyclonal antibodies generated to a predicted retinophilin peptide recognize an antigen in Drosophila photoreceptor cells. The retinophilins encode 4 copies of a repeat associated with a Membrane Occupation and Recognition Nexus (MORN) function first discovered in junctophilins, which may interact with the plasma membrane. These results therefore show that Drosophila retinophilin is expressed in fly photoreceptor cells, demonstrate that a conserved human gene is expressed in human retina, and suggest that a mutational analysis of the Drosophila gene would be valuable.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Thomas Morgan, Tracy Eggleston, and James Peyer for their help with the sectioning, and to Robert Pope for his help with the microscopy. Thanks are also due to David Hyde and Joseph O’Tousa for their help in interpreting the antibody localization. This work was supported in part by a Summer Faculty Research Grant from the Indiana University South Bend.

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  1. Indiana University South Bend, P.O. Box 7111, South Bend, IN, 46634, USA

    Kirk L. Mecklenburg

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  1. Kirk L. Mecklenburg
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Correspondence to Kirk L. Mecklenburg.

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Communicated by G. Reuter.

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Mecklenburg, K.L. Drosophila retinophilin contains MORN repeats and is conserved in humans. Mol Genet Genomics 277, 481–489 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-007-0211-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-007-0211-7

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