dRGS7 encodes a Drosophila homolog of EGL-10 and vertebrate RGS7

We identified a Drosophila gene encoding a homolog of the regulator of G-pr otein signaling (RGS) protein family. This gene (dRGS7) is expressed in neu rons of the embryo and adult fly and is predicted to encode a 428-amino aci d protein with >55% overall amino acid sequence identity with the vertebrat e protein RGS7 and the C. elegans EGL-10. The dRGS7 protein is 50% conserve d in the C-terminal RGS domain with RGS7 and EGL-10 but, remarkably, displa ys much greater conservation with the N-terminal regions of these proteins. This finding implies a conserved function for these homologs from divergen t species involving domains outside the RGS domain, The dRGS7 protein also has a domain of similarity with Dishevelled and pleckstrin, raising the pos sibility that these proteins interact with common signaling components.