A novel protein, designated Presenilin 1 (also designated S182) and mapping to the AD3 locus of chromosome 14q24.3, has been described. Mutations in the gene encoding Presenilin 1 have been found in families suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease. A highly related protein, designated Presenilin 2 (also designated STM2), shares 80% amino acid sequence identity with Presenilin 1. Presenilin 1 and Presenilin 2 have similar structures and represent novel members of the seven-pass transmembrane receptor superfamily. Point mutations in the gene encoding Presenilin 2 have been found in Volga German families who suffer from an inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Whether these proteins function as ligand-gated ion channels or G protein-coupled receptors has yet to be resolved. ALG-3, the mouse homolog of human Presenilin 2, has been cloned from the mouse liver cDNA library.