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

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 on tmem189, a key gene involved in plasmalogen synthesis. We successfully cloned and characterized the open reading frame (ORF) of tmem189 in Takifugu rubripes, revealing that it encodes a protein consisting of 275 amino acids. Notably, tmem189 expression was found to be higher in brain compared to other tissues. We transfected a GFP-tagged eukaryotic expression vector into 293 T cells, confirming successful expression of tmem189 with increased expression  levels. Additionally, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis demonstrated that tmem189 promotes plasmalogen synthesis in the transfected 293T cells. Our findings suggest that tmem189 could serve as a potential target for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, providing new insights into the promotion of plasmalogen synthesis.