ORM1 Like Protein 2 (ORMDL2)

The deduced 153-amino acid protein contains 3 putative transmembrane domains and shares 83%, 80%, and 97% amino acid identity with ORMDL1, ORMDL3, and mouse Ormdl2, respectively. It also shares significant homology with its yeast orthologs, Orm1 and Orm2. RT-PCR detected ORMDL2 expression in all adult and fetal tissues examined. Fluorescence-tagged ORMDL2 localized with an endoplasmic reticulum marker following transfection into COS-7 cells.Changes in ORM gene expression or mutations to their phosphorylation sites cause dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism. Breslow et al. (2010) concluded that their work identified the ORM proteins as critical mediators of sphingolipid homeostasis and raised the possibility that sphingolipid misregulation contributes to the development of childhood asthma.