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García-Solís B, Van Den Rym A, Martinez-Martínez L, Franco T, Pérez-Caraballo JJ, Markle J, Cubillos-Zapata C, Marín AV, Recio MJ, Regueiro JR, Navarro-Zapata A, Mestre-Durán C, Ferreras C, Martín Cotázar C, Mena R, de la Calle-Fabregat C, López-Lera A, Fernández Arquero M, Pérez-Martínez A, López-Collazo E, Sánchez-Ramón S, Casanova JL, Martínez-Barricarte R, de la Calle-Martín O, Pérez de Diego R. Inherited human ezrin deficiency impairs adaptive immunity. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023; 152:997-1009.e11. [PMID: 37301410 PMCID: PMC11009781 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are a group of monogenic diseases that confer susceptibility to infection, autoimmunity, and cancer. Despite the life-threatening consequences of some IEI, their genetic cause remains unknown in many patients. OBJECTIVE We investigated a patient with an IEI of unknown genetic etiology. METHODS Whole-exome sequencing identified a homozygous missense mutation of the gene encoding ezrin (EZR), substituting a threonine for an alanine at position 129. RESULTS Ezrin is one of the subunits of the ezrin, radixin, and moesin (ERM) complex. The ERM complex links the plasma membrane to the cytoskeleton and is crucial for the assembly of an efficient immune response. The A129T mutation abolishes basal phosphorylation and decreases calcium signaling, leading to complete loss of function. Consistent with the pleiotropic function of ezrin in myriad immune cells, multidimensional immunophenotyping by mass and flow cytometry revealed that in addition to hypogammaglobulinemia, the patient had low frequencies of switched memory B cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, MAIT, γδ T cells, and centralnaive CD4+ cells. CONCLUSIONS Autosomal-recessive human ezrin deficiency is a newly recognized genetic cause of B-cell deficiency affecting cellular and humoral immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca García-Solís
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Human Diseases, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Innate Immunity Group, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Interdepartmental Group of Immunodeficiencies, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Van Den Rym
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Human Diseases, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Innate Immunity Group, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Interdepartmental Group of Immunodeficiencies, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Teresa Franco
- Immunology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jareb J Pérez-Caraballo
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn; Division of Molecular Pathogenesis, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn
| | - Janet Markle
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn; Division of Molecular Pathogenesis, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn
| | - Carolina Cubillos-Zapata
- Innate Immunity Group, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Centre for Biomedical Research Network, CIBEres, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana V Marín
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, and 12 de Octubre Health Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - María J Recio
- Interdepartmental Group of Immunodeficiencies, Madrid, Spain; Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, and 12 de Octubre Health Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - José R Regueiro
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, and 12 de Octubre Health Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Navarro-Zapata
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Mestre-Durán
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Ferreras
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carla Martín Cotázar
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roció Mena
- Institute of Medical and Molecular Genetics (INGEMM), Hospital Universitario La Paz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Alberto López-Lera
- IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, CIBERER U-754, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Fernández Arquero
- Interdepartmental Group of Immunodeficiencies, Madrid, Spain; Clinical Immunology Department, San Carlos Clinical Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Pérez-Martínez
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo López-Collazo
- Innate Immunity Group, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Sánchez-Ramón
- Interdepartmental Group of Immunodeficiencies, Madrid, Spain; Clinical Immunology Department, San Carlos Clinical Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jean-Laurent Casanova
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1163, Paris, France; St Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY; Imagine Institute, University Paris Descartes, Paris, France; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY
| | - Rubén Martínez-Barricarte
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn; Division of Molecular Pathogenesis, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn
| | | | - Rebeca Pérez de Diego
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Human Diseases, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Innate Immunity Group, IdiPAZ Institute for Health Research, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Interdepartmental Group of Immunodeficiencies, Madrid, Spain.
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Avery L, Robertson TF, Wu CF, Roy NH, Chauvin SD, Perkey E, Vanderbeck A, Maillard I, Burkhardt JK. A Murine Model of X-Linked Moesin-Associated Immunodeficiency (X-MAID) Reveals Defects in T Cell Homeostasis and Migration. Front Immunol 2022; 12:726406. [PMID: 35069520 PMCID: PMC8770857 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.726406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked moesin associated immunodeficiency (X-MAID) is a primary immunodeficiency disease in which patients suffer from profound lymphopenia leading to recurrent infections. The disease is caused by a single point mutation leading to a R171W amino acid change in the protein moesin (moesinR171W). Moesin is a member of the ERM family of proteins, which reversibly link the cortical actin cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane. Here, we describe a novel mouse model with global expression of moesinR171W that recapitulates multiple facets of patient disease, including severe lymphopenia. Further analysis reveals that these mice have diminished numbers of thymocytes and bone marrow precursors. X-MAID mice also exhibit systemic inflammation that is ameliorated by elimination of mature lymphocytes through breeding to a Rag1-deficient background. The few T cells in the periphery of X-MAID mice are highly activated and have mostly lost moesinR171W expression. In contrast, single-positive (SP) thymocytes do not appear activated and retain high expression levels of moesinR171W. Analysis of ex vivo CD4 SP thymocytes reveals defects in chemotactic responses and reduced migration on integrin ligands. While chemokine signaling appears intact, CD4 SP thymocytes from X-MAID mice are unable to polarize and rearrange cytoskeletal elements. This mouse model will be a valuable tool for teasing apart the complexity of the immunodeficiency caused by moesinR171W, and will provide new insights into how the actin cortex regulates lymphocyte function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyndsay Avery
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Tanner F. Robertson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Christine F. Wu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nathan H. Roy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Samuel D. Chauvin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Eric Perkey
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Ashley Vanderbeck
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ivan Maillard
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Janis K. Burkhardt
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Rey-Gallardo A, Tomlins H, Joachim J, Rahman I, Kitscha P, Frudd K, Parsons M, Ivetic A. Sequential binding of ezrin and moesin to L-selectin regulates monocyte protrusive behaviour during transendothelial migration. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs.215541. [PMID: 29777033 PMCID: PMC6051341 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.215541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Leukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) is absolutely fundamental to the inflammatory response, and involves initial pseudopod protrusion and subsequent polarised migration across inflamed endothelium. Ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins are expressed in leukocytes and mediate cell shape changes and polarity. The spatio-temporal organisation of ERM proteins with their targets, and their individual contribution to protrusion during TEM, has never been explored. Here, we show that blocking binding of moesin to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) reduces its C-terminal phosphorylation during monocyte TEM, and that on–off cycling of ERM activity is essential for pseudopod protrusion into the subendothelial space. Reactivation of ERM proteins within transmigrated pseudopods re-establishes their binding to targets, such as L-selectin. Knockdown of ezrin, but not moesin, severely impaired the recruitment of monocytes to activated endothelial monolayers under flow, suggesting that this protein plays a unique role in the early recruitment process. Ezrin binds preferentially to L-selectin in resting cells and during early TEM. The moesin–L-selectin interaction increases within transmigrated pseudopods as TEM proceeds, facilitating localised L-selectin ectodomain shedding. In contrast, a non-cleavable L-selectin mutant binds selectively to ezrin, driving multi-pseudopodial extensions. Taken together, these results show that ezrin and moesin play mutually exclusive roles in modulating L-selectin signalling and shedding to control protrusion dynamics and polarity during monocyte TEM. Summary: Ezrin and moesin co-ordinate binding to L-selectin in monocytes to, respectively, regulate pseudopod protrusion and ectodomain shedding during transendothelial migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Rey-Gallardo
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, James Black Centre, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, 125 Coldharbour Lane, King's College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Hannah Tomlins
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, James Black Centre, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, 125 Coldharbour Lane, King's College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Justin Joachim
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, James Black Centre, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, 125 Coldharbour Lane, King's College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Izajur Rahman
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, James Black Centre, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, 125 Coldharbour Lane, King's College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Phoebe Kitscha
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, James Black Centre, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, 125 Coldharbour Lane, King's College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Karen Frudd
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, James Black Centre, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, 125 Coldharbour Lane, King's College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Maddy Parsons
- School of Basic & Medical Biosciences, Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Aleksandar Ivetic
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, James Black Centre, BHF Centre of Research Excellence, 125 Coldharbour Lane, King's College London, London SE5 9NU, UK
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X-linked primary immunodeficiency associated with hemizygous mutations in the moesin (MSN) gene. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2016; 138:1681-1689.e8. [PMID: 27405666 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We investigated 7 male patients (from 5 different families) presenting with profound lymphopenia, hypogammaglobulinemia, fluctuating monocytopenia and neutropenia, a poor immune response to vaccine antigens, and increased susceptibility to bacterial and varicella zoster virus infections. OBJECTIVE We sought to characterize the genetic defect involved in a new form of X-linked immunodeficiency. METHODS We performed genetic analyses and an exhaustive phenotypic and functional characterization of the lymphocyte compartment. RESULTS We observed hemizygous mutations in the moesin (MSN) gene (located on the X chromosome and coding for MSN) in all 7 patients. Six of the latter had the same missense mutation, which led to an amino acid substitution (R171W) in the MSN four-point-one, ezrin, radixin, moesin domain. The seventh patient had a nonsense mutation leading to a premature stop codon mutation (R533X). The naive T-cell counts were particularly low for age, and most CD8+ T cells expressed the senescence marker CD57. This phenotype was associated with impaired T-cell proliferation, which was rescued by expression of wild-type MSN. MSN-deficient T cells also displayed poor chemokine receptor expression, increased adhesion molecule expression, and altered migration and adhesion capacities. CONCLUSION Our observations establish a causal link between an ezrin-radixin-moesin protein mutation and a primary immunodeficiency that could be referred to as X-linked moesin-associated immunodeficiency.
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Pore D, Parameswaran N, Matsui K, Stone MB, Saotome I, McClatchey AI, Veatch SL, Gupta N. Ezrin tunes the magnitude of humoral immunity. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2013; 191:4048-58. [PMID: 24043890 PMCID: PMC3808844 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Ezrin is a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin family of membrane-actin cytoskeleton cross-linkers that participate in a variety of cellular processes. In B cells, phosphorylation of ezrin at different sites regulates multiple processes, such as lipid raft coalescence, BCR diffusion, microclustering, and endosomal JNK activation. In this study, we generated mice with conditional deletion of ezrin in the B cell lineage to investigate the physiological significance of ezrin's function in Ag receptor-mediated B cell activation and humoral immunity. B cell development, as well as the proportion and numbers of major B cell subsets in peripheral lymphoid organs, was unaffected by the loss of ezrin. Using superresolution imaging methods, we show that, in the absence of ezrin, BCRs respond to Ag binding by accumulating into larger and more stable signaling microclusters. Loss of ezrin led to delayed BCR capping and accelerated lipid raft coalescence. Although proximal signaling proteins showed stronger activation in the absence of ezrin, components of the distal BCR signaling pathways displayed distinct effects. Ezrin deficiency resulted in increased B cell proliferation and differentiation into Ab-secreting cells ex vivo and stronger T cell-independent and -dependent responses to Ag in vivo. Overall, our data demonstrate that ezrin regulates amplification of BCR signals and tunes the strength of B cell activation and humoral immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasis Pore
- Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195
| | - Neetha Parameswaran
- Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195
| | - Ken Matsui
- Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195
| | - Matthew B. Stone
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, 930 N. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Ichiko Saotome
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, 13 Street, Charlestown, MA 02129
| | - Andrea I. McClatchey
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, 13 Street, Charlestown, MA 02129
| | - Sarah L. Veatch
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, 930 N. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Neetu Gupta
- Department of Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195
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Parameswaran N, Gupta N. Re-defining ERM function in lymphocyte activation and migration. Immunol Rev 2013; 256:63-79. [DOI: 10.1111/imr.12104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Neetha Parameswaran
- Department of Immunology; Lerner Research Institute; Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland OH USA
| | - Neetu Gupta
- Department of Immunology; Lerner Research Institute; Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland OH USA
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Clapéron A, Debray D, Redon MJ, Mergey M, Ho-Bouldoires THN, Housset C, Fabre M, Fouassier L. Immunohistochemical profile of ezrin and radixin in human liver epithelia during fetal development and pediatric cholestatic diseases. Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2013; 37:142-51. [PMID: 23507543 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinre.2013.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
AIM Ezrin and radixin are actin-binding proteins that contribute to the integrity of epithelia. Abnormalities of bile secretion occur primarily in cholestatic liver diseases and are associated with changes in cell cytoskeleton. Expression of these proteins during liver development and in cholestatic liver diseases remains poorly investigated. METHODS Ezrin and radixin expression was analyzed in fetal, adult and pediatric cholestatic human liver (i.e. biliary atresia, sclerosing cholangitis) by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS In adult and fetal livers, ezrin was expressed exclusively in the cells of the biliary lineage (i.e. biliary epithelial cells and ductal cells) whereas radixin was located not only in hepatocytes but also in cells of the biliary lineage. In the lobule of mature livers, radixin displayed a zonal distribution with predominant expression in the periportal region. In cholestatic diseases, both proteins were expressed in cells of the ductular reaction. An aberrant expression of ezrin was detected in hepatocytes of cirrhotic nodules with a CK7-positive pattern and in malignant hepatocytes in a course of cholestatic disease toward cancer. CONCLUSIONS Among the components of the liver epithelial cells, ezrin was exclusively expressed in biliary phenotype cells, while radixin was found in biliary and hepatocytic lineages, with a periportal zonal expression. In cholestatic diseases, ezrin was expressed in hepatocytes supporting the appearance of a biliary phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Clapéron
- INSERM, UMR_S 938, CdR Saint-Antoine, faculté de médecine Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, site Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France
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Xie JJ, Zhang FR, Tao LH, Lü Z, Xu XE, Jian-Shen, Xu LY, Li EM. Expression of ezrin in human embryonic, fetal, and normal adult tissues. J Histochem Cytochem 2011; 59:1001-8. [PMID: 21832146 DOI: 10.1369/0022155411418661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ezrin, which cross-links the cytoskeleton and plasma membrane, was involved in a wide variety of cellular processes. Here, to investigate the distribution of ezrin, tissue microarray technology was employed to perform immunohistochemical experiments on human embryos, fetuses at 4 to 22 weeks' gestation, and adult tissue specimens. Results showed that ezrin was widely expressed in the gastrointestinal tract throughout the human developmental stages studied. At 6 to 8 weeks' gestation, ezrin was found in epithelial cells, and this staining pattern was particularly pronounced in the brush border of mature absorptive cells lining the villus in later developmental stages and adult tissues. Throughout neural development, ezrin was only expressed in the neural tube at 4 weeks' gestation. Ezrin was also detected in the cortex and medulla of the adrenal gland at 8 to 12 weeks' gestation, whereas its immunoreactivity was increased from the zona glomerulosa through the zona reticularis and was essentially undetectable in the adrenal medulla of adult tissues. Significant expression of ezrin was seen throughout development in the kidney, spleen, lymph nodes, and cells of stratified squamous epithelia. However, ezrin was undetectable in lung, liver, heart, and blood vessels. These results demonstrated that the expression pattern of ezrin was highly time specific and tissue specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Jun Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong Province, P.R. China
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