DROSOPHILA NF2/MERLIN HOMOLOGUE

神经纤维瘤病-2（NF2）是一种显性遗传性疾病， 导致在神经系统中形成广泛的肿瘤 系统和相关的神经胶质组织。最近的研究表明 NF2肿瘤抑制基因的产物是一个新的成员， 4.1蛋白质超家族叫做梅林。从功能上讲，其中许多 蛋白质似乎是细胞骨架和 细胞膜虽然NF2/merlin被鉴定为 蛋白质4.1超家族引起了极大兴趣，但它没有 但却导致了关于其细胞功能的特定假设， 它在肿瘤抑制中的作用。一种果蝇merlin同源基因 （Dmerlin）的基因进行了克隆和测序。这个项目的总体目标是 一个建议是利用果蝇系统的优势来识别 梅林的功能和互动伙伴。具体来说，l 计划进行（1）Dmerlin的结构/功能分析和（2） 执行屏幕识别功能和物理关联 基因.

Neurofibromatosis-2 (NF2) is a dominantly inherited disease that results in the formation of a wide range of tumors in the nervous system and associated glial tissues. Recent studies have shown that the product of the NF2 tumor-suppressor gene is a novel member of the 4.1 protein superfamily called merlin. Functionally, many of these proteins appear to serve as connections between the cytoskeleton and cell membrane. While the identification of NF2/merlin as a member of the protein 4.1 superfamily has been of great interest, it has not yet led to a specific hypothesis regarding its cellular function or its role in tumor suppression. A Drosophila merlin homologue (Dmerlin) has been cloned and sequenced. The overall goal of this proposal is to use the strengths of the Drosophila system to identify the functions and interacting partners of merlin. Specifically, l plan to conduct (1) a structure/function analysis of Dmerlin and (2) perform screens to identify functionally and physically associated genes.