Molecular cloning, expression, and functional analyses of plasmanylethanolamine desaturase gene of Takifugu rubripes.

Abstract

The aging population has led to a significant increase in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), which adversely affects the quality of life and longevity of the elderly. Abnormal plasmalogen metabolism plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AD. This study focused ontmem189, a key gene involved in plasmalogen synthesis. We successfully cloned and characterized the open reading frame (ORF) oftmem189, revealing that it encodes a protein consisting of 275 amino acids. Notably,tmem189expression was found to be highest in liver tissues compared to other tissues. We transfected a GFP-fused eukaryotic expression vector into 293 T cells, confirming successful expression oftmem189with increased relative levels. Additionally, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis demonstrated thattmem189promotes plasmalogen synthesis in the transfected 293 T cells. Our findings suggest thattmem189could serve as a potential target for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, providing new insights into the promotion of plasmalogen synthesis.