DSCAM and Dscam are both abbreviations for Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule. In humans, DSCAM refers to a gene that encodes one of several protein isoforms.
Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy 21, is the most common birth defect associated with intellectual disability. DSCAM plays a crucial role in the development of DS: it is expressed in the developing nervous system, with the highest level of expression occurring in the fetal brain. When over-expressed in the developing fetal central nervous system, it leads to Down syndrome.
A homologue of the Dscam protein in Drosophila melanogaster has 38,016 isoforms arising from four variable exon clusters (12, 48, 33 and 2 alternatives, respectively). By comparison, the entire Drosophila melanogaster genome only has 15,016 genes. The diversity of isoforms from alternative splicing of the Dscam1 gene in D. melanogaster allows every neuron in the fly to display a unique set of Dscam proteins on its cell surface. Dscam interaction stimulates neuronal self-avoidance mechanisms that are essential for normal neural circuit development.
