Identification of the mouse homologue of human discs large and rat SAP97 genes

The human homologue of the Drosophila discs large (dlg) tumor suppressor gene encodes a 926 amino acid protein, hDlg, which is a member of the MAGUK (Membrane Associated GUanylate Kinase homologues) family of proteins. To facilitate the development of murine model system for functional studies in vivo, the primary structure of the mouse homologue of hDlg has been determined. Dlgh1 encodes a approximately 5.5 kb transcript that is ubiquitously expressed in murine tissues. Mouse mDlg is a 927 amino acid protein that is 95% identical to hDlg and 94% identical to rat synapse associated protein, SAP97. The unusually high conservation of the primary structure of murine and human Dlg proteins across their distinct protein domains suggests a conserved function in vivo.