PRIMA1 explained

Proline-rich membrane anchor 1, also known as PRiMA, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PRIMA1 gene.^{[1] [2]}

Function

PRiMA functions to organize acetylcholinesterase (AChE) into tetramers, and to anchor AChE at neural cell membranes.^[1] This is accomplished by the proline rich anchor domain (PRAD) of PRIMA1 which anchors the tetramer of AChE into the plasma membrane of neural cells and myocytes.^[3] The PRAD interacts with the C-terminal T-peptide of AChE.^[4]

PRiMA plays a role in targeting AChE to the cell surface and, in neuroblastoma cells, PRiMA the limiting factor of such targeting. In both mice and humans, PRiMA exists as two alternative splice variants that differ in their cytoplasmic regions.

Clinical significance

The severity of neurogenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, can be related to the degradation of AChE.^[5]

Further reading

• Vanaja DK, Ballman KV, Morlan BW, Cheville JC, Neumann RM, Lieber MM, Tindall DJ, Young CY . PDLIM4 repression by hypermethylation as a potential biomarker for prostate cancer . Clinical Cancer Research . 12 . 4 . 1128–36 . Feb 2006 . 16489065 . 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-05-2072 . free .
• Bonaldo MF, Lennon G, Soares MB . Normalization and subtraction: two approaches to facilitate gene discovery . Genome Research . 6 . 9 . 791–806 . Sep 1996 . 8889548 . 10.1101/gr.6.9.791 . free .
• Xie HQ, Choi RC, Leung KW, Chen VP, Chu GK, Tsim KW . Transcriptional regulation of proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA) of globular form acetylcholinesterase in neuron: an inductive effect of neuron differentiation . Brain Research . 1265 . 13–23 . Apr 2009 . 19368807 . 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.01.065 . 26943639 .
• Xie HQ, Liang D, Leung KW, Chen VP, Zhu KY, Chan WK, Choi RC, Massoulié J, Tsim KW . Targeting acetylcholinesterase to membrane rafts: a function mediated by the proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA) in neurons . The Journal of Biological Chemistry . 285 . 15 . 11537–46 . Apr 2010 . 20147288 . 2857032 . 10.1074/jbc.M109.038711 . free .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Entrez Gene: proline rich membrane anchor 1.
2. Perrier AL, Massoulié J, Krejci E . PRiMA: the membrane anchor of acetylcholinesterase in the brain . Neuron . 33 . 2 . 275–85 . Jan 2002 . 11804574 . 10.1016/S0896-6273(01)00584-0 . free .
3. Xie HQ, Siow NL, Peng HB, Massoulié J, Tsim KW . Regulation of PRiMA: membrane anchor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in neuron and muscle . Chemico-Biological Interactions . 157-158 . Dec 2005 . 16429581 . 432 . 10.1016/j.cbi.2005.10.093. 2005CBI...157..432X .
4. Perrier NA, Khérif S, Perrier AL, Dumas S, Mallet J, Massoulié J . Expression of PRiMA in the mouse brain: membrane anchoring and accumulation of 'tailed' acetylcholinesterase . The European Journal of Neuroscience . 18 . 7 . Oct 2003 . 14622217 . 1837–47 . 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2003.02914.x. 21808922 .
5. Atack JR, Perry EK, Bonham JR, Perry RH, Tomlinson BE, Blessed G, Fairbairn A . Molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase in senile dementia of Alzheimer type: selective loss of the intermediate (10S) form . Neuroscience Letters . 40 . 2 . Sep 1983 . 6633975 . 10.1016/0304-3940(83)90302-6 . 199–204. 45149066 .