We have identified two vesicular proteins, designated evectin (evt)-1 and -2. These proteins are Ϸ Ϸ25 kDa in molecular mass, lack a cleaved N-terminal signal sequence, and appear to be inserted into membranes through a Cterminal hydrophobic anchor. They also carry a pleckstrin homology domain at their N termini, which potentially couples them to signal transduction pathways that result in the production of lipid second messengers. evt-1 is specific to the nervous system, where it is expressed in photoreceptors and myelinating glia, polarized cell types in which plasma membrane biosynthesis is prodigious and regulated; in contrast, evt-2 is widely expressed in both neural and nonneural tissues. In photoreceptors, evt-1 localizes to rhodopsin-bearing membranes of the post-Golgi, an important transport compartment for which specific molecular markers have heretofore been lacking. The structure and subcellular distribution of evt-1 strongly implicate this protein as a mediator of postGolgi trafficking in cells that produce large membrane-rich organelles. Its restricted cellular distribution and genetic locus make it a candidate gene for the inherited human retinopathy autosomal dominant familial exudative vitreoretinopathy and suggest that it also may be a susceptibility gene for multiple sclerosis.
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