Disease relevance of ECEL1

• The present results have shown that expression of Nbla03145/ECEL1 is a novel prognostic marker of neuroblastoma [1].

High impact information on ECEL1

• We have identified a novel gene Nbla03145 (alpha), also cloned and termed by another group as ECEL1, which encodes a new member of putative zinc-binding metalloendopeptidase (endothelin-converting enzyme) with unknown substrate [1].
• High levels of Nbla03145/ECEL1 expression were significantly correlated with a younger age (p=0.0005), lower stages (p=0.0019), high level of TrkA expression (p</=0.00005), a single copy of MYCN (p<0.00005) and the tumors found by mass screening (p<0.00005) [1].
• XCE mRNA was found to be predominantly expressed in the central nervous system, sympathetic ganglia and in uterine subepithelial cells [2].
• The predicted amino-acid sequence of this enzyme, termed XCE, consists of 775 amino-acids with a single putative membrane-spanning region, an N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of 59 residues, and a large luminal domain that contains a characteristic zinc-binding motif [2].
• Endothelin-converting enzyme-like 1 (ECEL1) is present both in the plasma membrane and in the endoplasmic reticulum [3].

Biological context of ECEL1

• Immunoblot and cell-surface biotinylation analysis of transfected cells expressing ECEL1 showed that only a fraction of the protein travelled to the cell surface, while most of the enzyme was present in an intracellular compartment identified by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and cell fractionation as the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) [3].

Anatomical context of ECEL1

• ECEL1 is expressed predominantly in the central nervous system [3].
• To better understand the function(s) of this enzyme, we have expressed human ECEL1 in cultured cells and monitored its biosynthesis and subcellular localization [3].
• Endogenous ECEL1 from mouse pituitary gland had a similar distribution between the cell surface and the ER [3].

References