Background: The transmembrane presenilin (PSEN) protein, PSEN1 and PSEN2, have been proposed to be the catalytic components of the ¿-secretase protein complex, which is an intramembranous multimeric protease involved in development, cell regulatory processes, and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Here we describe the sequencing, chromosomal mapping, and polymorphism analysis of PSEN1 and PSEN2 in the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus).
Conclusion: The data provide evidence for structural and functional conservation of PSENs in mammalian lineages, and may suggest that the high sequence similarity and colocatalization of PSEN1 and PSEN2 in brain tissue reflect a certain degree of fucntional redundancy. The data show that pigs may provide a new animal model for detailed analysis of the developmental functions of the PSENs.