Novel evolutionary-conserved role for the activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) family that is important for erythropoiesis.

Background: ADNP is vital for embryonic development. Is this function conserved for the homologous protein ADNP2?

Results: Down-regulation/silencing of ADNP or ADNP2 in zebrafish embryos or mouse erythroleukemia cells inhibited erythroid maturation, with ADNP directly associating with the β-globin locus control region.

Conclusion: ADNPs are novel molecular regulators of erythropoiesis.

Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) expression level is correlated with the expression of the sister protein ADNP2: deregulation in schizophrenia.

Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) and the homologous protein ADNP2 provide cell protection. ADNP is essential for brain formation, proper brain development and neuronal plasticity, all reported to be impaired in the schizophrenia patient brains. Furthermore, reduction in ADNP expression affects social interactions, a major hallmark of schizophrenia.

Silencing of the ADNP-family member, ADNP2, results in changes in cellular viability under oxidative stress.

Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) 2 (KIAA0863; ZNF508) gene, a homeobox-profile containing gene, was identified in a screen for homologous proteins to ADNP. The human ADNP2 contains 1131 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 122.8 KDa.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) regulates activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) expression in vivo.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is an important mediator of development during the neural tube closure period of embryogenesis and may regulate, in part, the expression of activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), which is essential for neural tube closure and embryogenesis. To evaluate the impact of VIP expression in vivo on ADNP and the related protein ADNP2 the current study examined gene expression in adult wild-type (VIP +/+) and VIP null (VIP -/-) offspring of VIP deficient mothers (VIP+/-) comparing them to wild-type offspring of wild-type mothers. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using an ABI Prisma cycler revealed regionally specific reductions of ADNP mRNA in the brains of VIP null mice compared with the brains of wild-type offspring of a wild-type mother.