Ethanol hypersensitivity and olfactory discrimination defect in mice lacking a homolog of Drosophila neuralized

Neurogenic genes in the Notch receptor-mediated signaling pathway play impo rtant roles in neuronal cell fate specification as well as neuronal differe ntiation. The Drosophila neuralized gene is one of the neurogenic genes. We have cloned a mouse homolog of Drosophila neuralized, m-neu1, and found th at the m-neu1 transcript is expressed in differentiated neurons. Mice defic ient for m-neu1 are viable and morphologically normal, but exhibit specific defects in olfactory discrimination and hypersensitivity to ethanol. These findings reveal an essential role of m-neu1 in ensuring proper processing of certain information in the adult brain.