survival of motor neuron 1, telomeric
Last updated 18 Aug 2020
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The SMN1 gene provides instructions for making the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. The SMN protein is found throughout the body, with highest levels in the spinal cord. This protein is one of a group of proteins called the SMN complex, which is important for the maintenance of specialized nerve cells called motor neurons. These cells are located in the spinal cord and the part of the brain that is connected to the spinal cord (the brainstem). Motor neurons transmit signals from the brain and spinal cord that tell skeletal muscles to tense (contract), which allows the body to move.
Normal function
The SMN1 gene provides instructions for making the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. The SMN protein is found throughout the body, with highest levels in the spinal cord. This protein is one of a group of proteins called the SMN complex, which is important for the maintenance of specialized nerve cells called motor neurons. These cells are located in the spinal cord and the part of the brain that is connected to the spinal cord (the brainstem). Motor neurons transmit signals from the brain and spinal cord that tell skeletal muscles to tense (contract), which allows the body to move.
In cells, the SMN complex plays an important role in processing molecules called messenger RNA (mRNA), which serve as genetic blueprints for making proteins. Messenger RNA begins as a rough draft (pre-mRNA) and goes through several processing steps to become a final, mature form. The SMN complex helps to assemble the cellular machinery needed to process pre-mRNA. The SMN complex is also important for the development of specialized outgrowths from nerve cells called dendrites and axons. Dendrites and axons are required for the transmission of impulses between neurons and from neurons to muscles.
A small amount of SMN protein is produced from a gene similar to SMN1 called SMN2. Several different versions of the SMN protein are produced from the SMN2 gene, but only one version is functional; the other versions are smaller and quickly broken down.
Conditions referring to this gene or chromosome
Other names
BCD541
SMA1
SMA2
SMA3
SMA4
SMN_HUMAN
SMNT
T-BCD541
telomeric SMN
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Further reading and references
- survival of motor neuron 1, telomeric; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Blauw HM, Barnes CP, van Vught PW, van Rheenen W, Verheul M, Cuppen E, Veldink JH, van den Berg LH. SMN1 gene duplications are associated with sporadic ALS. Neurology. 2012 Mar 13;78(11):776-80. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318249f697. Epub 2012 Feb 8.
- Cartegni L, Hastings ML, Calarco JA, de Stanchina E, Krainer AR. Determinants of exon 7 splicing in the spinal muscular atrophy genes, SMN1 and SMN2. Am J Hum Genet. 2006 Jan;78(1):63-77. doi: 10.1086/498853. Epub 2005 Nov 16.
- Corcia P, Camu W, Halimi JM, Vourc'h P, Antar C, Vedrine S, Giraudeau B, de Toffol B, Andres CR; French ALS Study Group. SMN1 gene, but not SMN2, is a risk factor for sporadic ALS. Neurology. 2006 Oct 10;67(7):1147-50. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000233830.85206.1e. Epub 2006 Aug 23.
- Corcia P, Camu W, Praline J, Gordon PH, Vourch P, Andres C. The importance of the SMN genes in the genetics of sporadic ALS. Amyotroph Lateral Scler. 2009 Oct-Dec;10(5-6):436-40. doi: 10.3109/17482960902759162.
- Farrar MA, Kiernan MC. The Genetics of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Progress and Challenges. Neurotherapeutics. 2015 Apr;12(2):290-302. doi: 10.1007/s13311-014-0314-x.
- Fuller HR, Gillingwater TH, Wishart TM. Commonality amid diversity: Multi-study proteomic identification of conserved disease mechanisms in spinal muscular atrophy. Neuromuscul Disord. 2016 Sep;26(9):560-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nmd.2016.06.004. Epub 2016 Jun 7.
- Gubitz AK, Feng W, Dreyfuss G. The SMN complex. Exp Cell Res. 2004 May 15;296(1):51-6. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2004.03.022.
- Kolb SJ, Battle DJ, Dreyfuss G. Molecular functions of the SMN complex. J Child Neurol. 2007 Aug;22(8):990-4. doi: 10.1177/0883073807305666.
- Kolb SJ, Kissel JT. Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Neurol Clin. 2015 Nov;33(4):831-46. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2015.07.004.
- Prior TW, Swoboda KJ, Scott HD, Hejmanowski AQ. Homozygous SMN1 deletions in unaffected family members and modification of the phenotype by SMN2. Am J Med Genet A. 2004 Oct 15;130A(3):307-10. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.30251.
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