Cysteine string proteins (CSPs) are conserved secretory vesicle proteins involved in regulating neurotransmitter and peptide release. While the function of the J-domain has been studied in detail, little is known about other conserved regions. We have constructed mutant genes coding for proteins with modified cysteine string, linker region or C terminus and transformed them into Csp null-mutant Drosophila. In the living animal, mutated CSP lacking all cysteines fails to associate with membranes, does not concentrate in synaptic terminals, and cannot rescue adult temperature-sensitive paralysis and short life span, both prominent null mutant phenotypes. A mutant protein with 5 instead of 11 string cysteines appears to be normally targeted but cannot rescue paralysis at 37°C. We propose that the cysteine string, in addition to its role in targeting, may be essential for a function of CSP that is dependent on the number of cysteines in the string. A deletion in the linker region or the C terminus does not affect CSP targeting, and function in adults is only marginally impaired.
CITATION STYLE
Arnold, C., Reisch, N., Leibold, C., Becker, S., Prüfert, K., Sautter, K., … Buchner, E. (2004). Structure-function analysis of the cysteine string protein in Drosophila: Cysteine string, linker and C terminus. Journal of Experimental Biology, 207(8), 1323–1334. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.00898
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