Synucleins are a family of small intracellular proteins expressed mainly in
the nervous system. The involvement of synucleins in neurodegeneration and
malignancy has been demonstrated, but the physiological functions of these
proteins remain elusive. Further studies including generation of animals w
ith modified persyn expression are necessary to clarify the functions of th
ese proteins and the mechanisms of their involvement in human diseases, We
cloned and determined the organization and chromosomal localization of the
mouse gene coding for persyn, a member of the synuclein family. The gene is
composed of five exons, and its general structure is very similar to that
of the human persyn gene. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization, we assi
gned the persyn gene to the boundary of bands B and C on mouse chromosome 1
4. We found a fragment of the gene that directs expression of the persyn pr
otein in sensory neurons and could be used for generation of transgenic ani
mals. (C) 1999 Academic Press.