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A novel gene involved in zinc transport is deficient in the lethal milk mouse

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Abstract

We have identified the gene responsible for the inherited zinc deficiency in the lethal milk (Im) mouse. The gene, here designated Znt4, encodes a 430-amino-acid protein that is homologous to two proteins, ZnT2 and ZnT3, responsible for sequestration of zinc into endosomal/lysosomal compartments and synaptic vesicles, respectively. We show that the Znt4 gene confers zinc resistance to a zinc-sensitive yeast strain and that it is abundantly expressed in the mammary epithelia and brain. The lethal milk mutant has a nonsense mutation at arginine codon 297 in the Znt4 gene.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, California, 94143, USA

    Liping Huang & Jane Gitschier

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  1. Liping Huang
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  2. Jane Gitschier
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Huang, L., Gitschier, J. A novel gene involved in zinc transport is deficient in the lethal milk mouse. Nat Genet 17, 292–297 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1197-292

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1197-292

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