Nicastrin is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein that interacts with both presenilin-1 (PS1; see OMIM 104311) and
presenilin-2 (PS2; OMIM 600759) and has a central role in presenilin-mediated processing of beta-amyloid precursor
protein (beta-APP, OMIM 104760) and some aspects of notch (OMIM 190198)/glp-1 signaling in vivo. Nicastrin plays a role as regulator of Notch signaling, a component of gamma-secretase, and a regulator of presenilin
localization and stabilization.
General function
Receptor
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Cellular localization
Plasma membrane
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Ovarian function
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Expression regulated by
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Ovarian localization
Oocyte
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Taft RA, et al 2002 reported the identification of genes encoding mouse oocyte secretory and
transmembrane proteins by a signal sequence trap.
At all stages of follicular
development, oocytes interact with surrounding granulosa cells and promote their
differentiation into the types of cells that support further oocyte growth and
developmental competence. These interactions suggest the existence of an
oocyte-granulosa cell regulatory loop that includes both secreted proteins and cell
surface receptors on both cell types. Factors involved in the regulatory loop will
therefore contain a signal sequence, which can be used to identify them through a
signal sequence trap (SST). A screen of an oocyte SST library identified three
classes of oocyte-expressed sequences: known mouse genes, sequences homologous
to known mammalian genes, and novel sequences of unknown function. Many of the
recovered genes may have roles in the oocyte-granulosa cell regulatory loop. For
several of the known mouse genes, new roles in follicular development are implied
by identification of their expression, for the first time, in the oocyte.
Nicastrin was found by the SST screen.