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Liu J, Zheng W, Wang W, Yang X, Huang Y, Cui P, Ma Z, Zeng X, Zhai R, Weng X, Wu W, Zhang X. Identification of AGO2 and PLEC genes polymorphisms in Hu sheep and their relationship with body size traits. Anim Biotechnol 2024; 35:2295926. [PMID: 38149679 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2023.2295926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
The body size traits are major traits in livestock, which intuitively displays the development of the animal's bones and muscles. This study used PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing, KASPar genotyping, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to analyze the Single-nucleotide polymorphism and expression characteristics of Argonaute RISC catalytic component 2 (AGO2) and Plectin (PLEC) genes in Hu sheep. Two intron mutations were found in Hu sheep, which were AGO2 g.51700 A > C and PLEC g.23157 C > T, respectively. Through association analysis of two mutation sites and body size traits, it was found that AGO2 g.51700 A > C mainly affects the chest and cannon circumference of Hu sheep of while PLEC g.23157 C mainly affects body height and body length. The combined genotypes of AGO2 and PLEC genes with body size traits showed SNPs at the AGO2 g.51700 A > C and PLEC g.23157 C > T loci significantly improved the body size traits of Hu sheep. In addition, the AGO2 gene has the highest expression levels in the heart, rumen, and tail fat, and the PLEC gene is highly expressed in the heart. These two loci can provide new research ideas for improving the body size traits of Hu sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wenxin Zheng
- Institute of Animal Husbandry Quality Standards, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Weimin Wang
- The State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaobin Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yongliang Huang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Panpan Cui
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zongwu Ma
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiwen Zeng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Rui Zhai
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiuxiu Weng
- The State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Weiwei Wu
- Institute of Animal Science, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Xiaoxue Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
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Zrelski MM, Hösele S, Kustermann M, Fichtinger P, Kah D, Athanasiou I, Esser PR, Wagner A, Herzog R, Kratochwill K, Goldmann WH, Kiritsi D, Winter L. Plectin Deficiency in Fibroblasts Deranges Intermediate Filament and Organelle Morphology, Migration, and Adhesion. J Invest Dermatol 2024; 144:547-562.e9. [PMID: 37716646 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Plectin, a highly versatile and multifunctional cytolinker, has been implicated in several multisystemic disorders. Most sequence variations in the human plectin gene (PLEC) cause epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD), an autosomal recessive skin-blistering disorder associated with progressive muscle weakness. In this study, we performed a comprehensive cell biological analysis of dermal fibroblasts from three different patients with EBS-MD, where PLEC expression analyses revealed preserved mRNA levels in all cases, whereas full-length plectin protein content was significantly reduced or completely absent. Downstream effects of pathogenic PLEC sequence alterations included massive bundling of vimentin intermediate filament networks, including the occurrence of ring-like nuclei-encasing filament bundles, elongated mitochondrial networks, and abnormal nuclear morphologies. We found that essential fibroblast functions such as wound healing, migration, or orientation upon cyclic stretch were significantly impaired in the cells of patients with EBS-MD. Finally, EBS-MD fibroblasts displayed reduced adhesion capacities, which could be attributed to smaller focal adhesion contacts. Our study not only emphasizes plectin's functional role in human skin fibroblasts, it also provides further insights into the understanding of EBS-MD-associated disease mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela M Zrelski
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabrina Hösele
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Kustermann
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petra Fichtinger
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Delf Kah
- Center for Medical Physics and Technology, Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ioannis Athanasiou
- Department of Dermatology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Philipp R Esser
- Department of Dermatology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anja Wagner
- Core Facility Proteomics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Stress Research in Peritoneal Dialysis, Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Rebecca Herzog
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Stress Research in Peritoneal Dialysis, Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus Kratochwill
- Core Facility Proteomics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Molecular Stress Research in Peritoneal Dialysis, Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang H Goldmann
- Center for Medical Physics and Technology, Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Dimitra Kiritsi
- Department of Dermatology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lilli Winter
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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徐 茹, 杨 凌, 宋 关. [Plectin Promotes the Migration of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Through Inducing F-actin Polymerization]. Sichuan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2024; 55:60-66. [PMID: 38322534 PMCID: PMC10839499 DOI: 10.12182/20240160106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Objective To explore the relationship between the expression of plectin and the migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which plectin expression affects the migration of HCC cells. Methods First of all, Western blot was performed to determine the expression of plectin in normal hepatocytes and HCC cells. Secondly, a plectin-downregulated HCC cell strain was established and the control group (shNC group) and shPLEC group were set up. Each group was divided into a vehicle control group (shNC+DMSO group or shPLEC+DMSO group) and a F-actin cytoskeleton polymerization inducer Jasplakinolide group (shNC+Jasp group or shPLEC+Jasp group). Western blot was performed to determine the expression of plectin and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins, including N-cadherin, vimentin, and E-cadherin. HCC cell migration was evaluated by Transwell assay. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) was used to analyze the signaling pathways related to plectin gene. The polymerization of F-actin was analyzed by immunofluorescence assay. Results Compared with the normal hepatocytes, HCC cells showed high expression of plectin. Compared with those in the shNC group, the expression of plectin in the shPLEC group was decreased (P<0.05), the migration ability of HCC cells was weakened (P<0.05), and the EMT process was inhibited (with the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin being decreased and the expression of E-cadherin being increased) (P<0.05). KEGG analysis showed that the regulation of cytoskeletal F-actin was most closely associated with plectin and cytoskeletal F-actin depolymerized in the shPLEC group. After treatment with Jasplakinolide, an inducer of F-actin cytoskeleton polymerization, the migration ability of HCC cells in the shPLEC+Jasp group was enhanced compared with that of shPLEC+DMSO group (P<0.05) and the EMT process was restored (with the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin being increased and the expression of E-cadherin being decreased) (P<0.05). In addition, the polymerization of cytoskeletal F-actin in HCC cells was also restored. Conclusion Plectin is highly expressed in HCC cells. Plectin promotes the migration and the EMT of HCC cells through inducing F-actin polymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- 茹霜 徐
- 重庆大学生物工程学院 (重庆 400030)College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
| | - 凌霄 杨
- 重庆大学生物工程学院 (重庆 400030)College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
| | - 关斌 宋
- 重庆大学生物工程学院 (重庆 400030)College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
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Xu R, He S, Ma D, Liang R, Luo Q, Song G. Plectin Downregulation Inhibits Migration and Suppresses Epithelial Mesenchymal Transformation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells via ERK1/2 Signaling. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010073. [PMID: 36613521 PMCID: PMC9820339 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Plectin, as a cytoskeleton-related protein, is involved in various physiological and pathological processes of many cell types. Studies have found that plectin affects cancer cell invasion and metastasis, but the exact mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of plectin in the migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and explore its relevant molecular mechanism. Herein, we found that the expression of plectin in HCC tissue and cells was significantly increased compared with normal liver tissue and cells. After downregulation of plectin, the migration ability of HCC cells was significantly lower than that of the control group. Moreover, the expression of E-cadherin was upregulated and the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin was downregulated, suggesting that plectin downregulation suppresses epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT) of HCC cells. Mechanically, we found that plectin downregulation repressed the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation. Activation of ERK1/2 recovered the plectin downregulation-inhibited migration and EMT of HCC cells. Taken together, our results demonstrate that downregulation of plectin inhibits HCC cell migration and EMT through ERK1/2 signaling, which provides a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Qing Luo
- Correspondence: (Q.L.); (G.S.); Tel.: +86-23-6510-2507 (Q.L. & G.S.)
| | - Guanbin Song
- Correspondence: (Q.L.); (G.S.); Tel.: +86-23-6510-2507 (Q.L. & G.S.)
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Vahidnezhad H, Youssefian L, Harvey N, Tavasoli AR, Saeidian AH, Sotoudeh S, Varghaei A, Mahmoudi H, Mansouri P, Mozafari N, Zargari O, Zeinali S, Uitto J. Mutation update: The spectra of PLEC sequence variants and related plectinopathies. Hum Mutat 2022; 43:1706-1731. [PMID: 35815343 PMCID: PMC9771971 DOI: 10.1002/humu.24434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Plectin, encoded by PLEC, is a cytoskeletal linker of intermediate filaments expressed in many cell types. Plectin consists of three main domains that determine its functionality: the N-terminal domain, the Rod domain, and the C-terminal domain. Molecular defects of PLEC correlating with the functional aspects lead to a group of rare heritable disorders, plectinopathies. These multisystem disorders include an autosomal dominant form of epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS-Ogna), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), aplasia cutis congenita (ACC), and an autosomal recessive form of EBS, which may associate with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD), pyloric atresia (EBS-PA), and/or congenital myasthenic syndrome (EBS-MyS). In this study, genotyping of over 600 Iranian patients with epidermolysis bullosa by next-generation sequencing identified 15 patients with disease-causing PLEC variants. This mutation update analyzes the clinical spectrum of PLEC in our cohort and in the literature and demonstrates the relationship between PLEC genotype and phenotypic manifestations. This study has integrated our seven novel PLEC variants and phenotypic findings with previously published data totaling 116 variants to provide the most complete overview of pathogenic PLEC variants and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Vahidnezhad
- Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Leila Youssefian
- Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Nailah Harvey
- Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ali Reza Tavasoli
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
- Pediatric Neurology Division, Children’s Medical Center, Pediatric Center of Excellence, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Hossein Saeidian
- Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Soheila Sotoudeh
- Department of Dermatology, Children’s Medical Center, Pediatric Center of Excellence, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aida Varghaei
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Mahmoudi
- Department of Dermatology, Razi Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parvin Mansouri
- Skin and Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nikoo Mozafari
- Skin Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | | | - Jouni Uitto
- Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
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Abstract
Plectin, a high-molecular-weight cytoskeletal linker protein, binds with high affinity to intermediate filaments of all types and connects them to junctional complexes, organelles, and inner membrane systems. In addition, it interacts with actomyosin structures and microtubules. As a multifunctional protein, plectin has been implicated in several multisystemic diseases, the most common of which is epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD). A great part of our knowledge about plectin’s functional diversity has been gained through the analysis of a unique collection of transgenic mice that includes a full (null) knockout (KO), several tissue-restricted and isoform-specific KOs, three double KOs, and two knock-in lines. The key molecular features and pathological phenotypes of these mice will be discussed in this review. In summary, the analysis of the different genetic models indicated that a functional plectin is required for the proper function of striated and simple epithelia, cardiac and skeletal muscle, the neuromuscular junction, and the vascular endothelium, recapitulating the symptoms of humans carrying plectin mutations. The plectin-null line showed severe skin and muscle phenotypes reflecting the importance of plectin for hemidesmosome and sarcomere integrity; whereas the ablation of individual isoforms caused a specific phenotype in myofibers, basal keratinocytes, or neurons. Tissue-restricted ablation of plectin rendered the targeted cells less resilient to mechanical stress. Studies based on animal models other than the mouse, such as zebrafish and C. elegans, will be discussed as well.
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Fish L, Khoroshkin M, Navickas A, Garcia K, Culbertson B, Hänisch B, Zhang S, Nguyen HCB, Soto LM, Dermit M, Mardakheh FK, Molina H, Alarcón C, Najafabadi HS, Goodarzi H. A prometastatic splicing program regulated by SNRPA1 interactions with structured RNA elements. Science 2021; 372:eabc7531. [PMID: 33986153 PMCID: PMC8238114 DOI: 10.1126/science.abc7531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant alternative splicing is a hallmark of cancer, yet the underlying regulatory programs that control this process remain largely unknown. Here, we report a systematic effort to decipher the RNA structural code that shapes pathological splicing during breast cancer metastasis. We discovered a previously unknown structural splicing enhancer that is enriched near cassette exons with increased inclusion in highly metastatic cells. We show that the spliceosomal protein small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide A' (SNRPA1) interacts with these enhancers to promote cassette exon inclusion. This interaction enhances metastatic lung colonization and cancer cell invasion, in part through SNRPA1-mediated regulation of PLEC alternative splicing, which can be counteracted by splicing modulating morpholinos. Our findings establish a noncanonical regulatory role for SNRPA1 as a prometastatic splicing enhancer in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Fish
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Matvei Khoroshkin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Albertas Navickas
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kristle Garcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Bruce Culbertson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Benjamin Hänisch
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Steven Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Hoang C B Nguyen
- Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Larisa M Soto
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
- McGill Genome Centre, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Maria Dermit
- Centre for Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Faraz K Mardakheh
- Centre for Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Henrik Molina
- Proteome Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Claudio Alarcón
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Yale Cancer Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Hamed S Najafabadi
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
- McGill Genome Centre, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Hani Goodarzi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
- Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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Khan FF, Khan N, Rehman S, Ejaz A, Ali U, Erfan M, Ahmed ZM, Naeem M. Identification and Computational Analysis of Novel Pathogenic Variants in Pakistani Families with Diverse Epidermolysis Bullosa Phenotypes. Biomolecules 2021; 11:620. [PMID: 33921969 PMCID: PMC8143555 DOI: 10.3390/biom11050620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) includes a group of rare gesnodermatoses that result in blistering and erosions of the skin and mucous membranes. Genetically, pathogenic variants in around 20 genes are known to alter the structural and functional integrity of intraepidermal adhesion and dermo-epidermal anchorage, leading to four different types of EB. Here we report the underlying genetic causes of EB phenotypes segregating in seven large consanguineous families, recruited from different regions of Pakistan. Whole exome sequencing, followed by segregation analysis of candidate variants through Sanger sequencing, identified eight pathogenic variants, including three novel (ITGB4: c.1285G>T, and c.3373G>A; PLEC: c.1828A>G) and five previously reported variants (COL7A1: c.6209G>A, and c.1573C>T; FERMT1: c.676insC; LAMA3: c.151insG; LAMB3: c.1705C>T). All identified variants were either absent or had very low frequencies in the control databases. Our in-silico analyses and 3-dimensional (3D) molecular modeling support the deleterious impact of these variants on the encoded proteins. Intriguingly, we report the first case of a recessively inherited form of rare EBS-Ogna associated with a homozygous variant in the PLEC gene. Our study highlights the clinical and genetic diversity of EB in the Pakistani population and expands the mutation spectrum of EB; it could also be useful for prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling of the affected families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fehmida F. Khan
- Medical Genetics Research Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; (F.F.K.); (N.K.)
| | - Naima Khan
- Medical Genetics Research Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; (F.F.K.); (N.K.)
| | - Sakina Rehman
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Translational Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA;
| | - Amir Ejaz
- Army Medical College, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
| | - Uzma Ali
- Department of Dermatology, Capital Hospital, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Erfan
- Department of Dermatology, Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan;
| | - Zubair M. Ahmed
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Translational Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA;
| | - Muhammad Naeem
- Medical Genetics Research Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; (F.F.K.); (N.K.)
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Sorial AK, Hofer IMJ, Tselepi M, Cheung K, Parker E, Deehan DJ, Rice SJ, Loughlin J. Multi-tissue epigenetic analysis of the osteoarthritis susceptibility locus mapping to the plectin gene PLEC. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2020; 28:1448-1458. [PMID: 32580029 PMCID: PMC7594932 DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2020.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In cartilage, the osteoarthritis (OA) associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11780978 correlates with differential expression of PLEC, and with differential methylation of PLEC CpG dinucleotides, forming eQTLs and mQTLs respectively. This implies that methylation links chondrocyte genotype and phenotype, thus driving the functional effect of this genetic risk signal. PLEC encodes plectin, a cytoskeletal protein that enables tissues to respond to mechanical forces. We sought to assess whether these PLEC functional effects were cartilage specific. METHOD Cartilage, fat pad, synovium and peripheral blood were collected from patients undergoing arthroplasty. PLEC CpGs were analysed for mQTLs and allelic expression imbalance (AEI) was performed to test for eQTLs. Plectin was knocked down in a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) line using CRISPR/Cas9 and cells phenotyped by RNA-sequencing. RESULTS mQTLs were discovered in fat pad, synovium and blood. Their effects were however stronger in the joint tissues and of comparable effect between these tissues. We observed AEI in synovium in the same direction as for cartilage and correlations between methylation and PLEC expression. Knocking-down plectin impacted on pathways reported to have a role in OA, including Wnt signalling, glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis and immune regulation. CONCLUSIONS Synovium is also a target of the rs11780978 OA association functionally operating on PLEC. In fat pad, mQTLs were identified but these did not correlate with PLEC expression, suggesting the functional effect is not joint-wide. Our study highlights interplay between genetic risk, DNA methylation and gene expression in OA, and reveals clear differences between tissues from the same diseased joint.
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MESH Headings
- Adipose Tissue/metabolism
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Arthroplasty, Replacement
- CRISPR-Cas Systems
- Cartilage, Articular/metabolism
- Cell Line
- Chondrocytes/metabolism
- CpG Islands
- DNA Methylation
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Female
- Gene Expression
- Gene Knockdown Techniques
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Glycosaminoglycans/biosynthesis
- Humans
- Male
- Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism
- Middle Aged
- Osteoarthritis, Hip/blood
- Osteoarthritis, Hip/genetics
- Osteoarthritis, Hip/metabolism
- Osteoarthritis, Hip/surgery
- Osteoarthritis, Knee/blood
- Osteoarthritis, Knee/genetics
- Osteoarthritis, Knee/metabolism
- Osteoarthritis, Knee/surgery
- Plectin/blood
- Plectin/genetics
- Plectin/metabolism
- Quantitative Trait Loci
- Sequence Analysis, RNA
- Synovial Membrane/metabolism
- Wnt Signaling Pathway/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- A K Sorial
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - I M J Hofer
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - M Tselepi
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - K Cheung
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - E Parker
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - D J Deehan
- Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - S J Rice
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
| | - J Loughlin
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
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10
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Tu WT, Chen PC, Hou PC, Huang HY, Wang JY, Chao SC, Lee JYY, McGrath JA, Natsuga K, Hsu CK. Plectin Missense Mutation p.Leu319Pro in the Pathogenesis of Autosomal Recessive Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex. Acta Derm Venereol 2020; 100:adv00242. [PMID: 32725257 PMCID: PMC9207625 DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Ting Tu
- Department of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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11
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Mroczek M, Durmus H, Töpf A, Parman Y, Straub V. Four Individuals with a Homozygous Mutation in Exon 1f of the PLEC Gene and Associated Myasthenic Features. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11070716. [PMID: 32605089 PMCID: PMC7397187 DOI: 10.3390/genes11070716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We identified the known c.1_9del mutation in the PLEC gene in four unrelated females from consanguineous families of Turkish origin. All individuals presented with slowly progressive limb-girdle weakness without any dermatological findings, and dystrophic changes observed in their muscle biopsies. Additionally, the neurological examination revealed ptosis, facial weakness, fatigability, and muscle cramps in all four cases. In two patients, repetitive nerve stimulation showed a borderline decrement and a high jitter was detected in all patients by single-fiber electromyography. Clinical improvement was observed after treatment with pyridostigmine and salbutamol was started. We further characterize the phenotype of patients with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy R17 clinically, by muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and by describing a common 3.8 Mb haplotype in three individuals from the same geographical region. In addition, we review the neuromuscular symptoms associated with PLEC mutations and the role of plectin in the neuromuscular junction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Mroczek
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK; (M.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Hacer Durmus
- Department of Neurology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul 34093, Turkey; (H.D.); (Y.P.)
| | - Ana Töpf
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK; (M.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Yesim Parman
- Department of Neurology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul 34093, Turkey; (H.D.); (Y.P.)
| | - Volker Straub
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK; (M.M.); (A.T.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-19124-18762-8655
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12
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Matsubara T, Yaginuma T, Addison WN, Fujita Y, Watanabe K, Yoshioka I, Hikiji H, Maki K, Baron R, Kokabu S. Plectin stabilizes microtubules during osteoclastic bone resorption by acting as a scaffold for Src and Pyk2. Bone 2020; 132:115209. [PMID: 31866495 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2019.115209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Osteoclasts are multinuclear cells which maintain bone homeostasis by resorbing bone. During bone resorption, osteoclasts attach to the bone matrix via a sealing zone formed by an actin ring. Rous sarcoma oncogene (Src) is essential for actin ring formation and bone resorption. Recently, we demonstrated that plectin, a cytolinker protein, is a Src-binding protein in osteoclasts. However, the function of plectin in osteoclasts remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that shRNA knockdown of plectin in RAW 264.7 cells resulted in tartrate resistant acid phosphatase positive multinuclear cells (TRAP (+) MNCs) with impaired actin ring formation and bone resorption activity. Moreover, we found that in plectin-silenced TRAP (+) MNCs, Src and protein tyrosine kinase 2 beta (Pyk2), two critical kinases in osteoclastic bone resorption, were inactivated and microtubule polarity was disturbed. These results suggest that plectin plays a critical role in osteoclast biology by acting as a scaffold to facilitate Src and Pyk2 activation during microtubule organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Matsubara
- Division of Molecular Signaling and Biochemistry, Department of Health Promotion, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan.
| | - Tatsuki Yaginuma
- Division of Molecular Signaling and Biochemistry, Department of Health Promotion, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan; Division of Oral Medicine, Department of Physical Functions, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - William N Addison
- Division of Molecular Signaling and Biochemistry, Department of Health Promotion, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan
| | - Yuko Fujita
- Division of Developmental Stomatognathic Function Science, Department of Health Promotion, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan
| | - Kouji Watanabe
- Division of Developmental Stomatognathic Function Science, Department of Health Promotion, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan
| | - Izumi Yoshioka
- Division of Oral Medicine, Department of Physical Functions, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Hisako Hikiji
- School of Oral Health Sciences, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan
| | - Kenshi Maki
- Division of Developmental Stomatognathic Function Science, Department of Health Promotion, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan
| | - Roland Baron
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Division of Bone and Mineral Research, Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shoichiro Kokabu
- Division of Molecular Signaling and Biochemistry, Department of Health Promotion, Kyushu Dental University, 2-6-1, Manazuru, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan
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13
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Valari M, Theodoraki M, Loukas I, Gkantseva-Patsoura S, Karavana G, Falaina V, Lykopoulou L, Pons R, Athanasiou I, Wertheim-Tysarowska K, Kanaka-Gantenbein C, Kiritsi D. Novel PLEC Variant Causes Mild Skin Fragility, Pyloric Atresia, Muscular Dystrophy and Urological Manifestations. Acta Derm Venereol 2019; 99:1309-1310. [PMID: 31513275 DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Manthoula Valari
- First Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
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14
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Abstract
The current study investigated the distribution and degradation of pork plectin during postmortem aging. Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscles from 12 pig carcasses were vacuum-packaged and aged at 4 °C for 0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 13 days. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that pork plectin was distributed in a honeycomb-like pattern in the cross section and a regularly striated pattern in the longitudinal section. However, plectin was found preferentially expressed in fibers that were stained with high anti-fast-MyHC. Double immunostaining revealed the colocalization of plectin and desmin in the cytoplasm and beneath the sarcolemma. Western blot analysis showed that the amount of intact plectin was rapidly reduced during the early postmortem aging (P < 0.05) and almost disappeared at day 3. The degraded 240 kDa plectin accumulated fast and was further cleaved after 3 days of aging (P < 0.05). The plectin degradation could be significantly blocked by calpain inhibitor MDL-28170 rather than caspase-3 inhibitor Ac-DEVD-CHO (P < 0.05). Double immunostaining of μ-calpain and plectin showed a large amount of overlap at 0 h and 3 days of postmortem. Accordingly, these findings showed that plectin was preferentially expressed in fast muscle fiber and regularly distributed along with desmin at the strategic cellular sites. Plectin suffered a prominent and prompt degradation during postmortem aging, which might be attributed to μ-calpain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaona Tian
- Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, MOE, Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MOA, Jiangsu Synergetic Innovation Center of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095 , P. R. China
| | - Yingying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, MOE, Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MOA, Jiangsu Synergetic Innovation Center of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095 , P. R. China
| | - Xiaoquan Fan
- Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, MOE, Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MOA, Jiangsu Synergetic Innovation Center of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095 , P. R. China
| | - Yingwu Shi
- Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, MOE, Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MOA, Jiangsu Synergetic Innovation Center of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095 , P. R. China
| | - Wangang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, MOE, Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MOA, Jiangsu Synergetic Innovation Center of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095 , P. R. China
| | - Qin Hou
- Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, MOE, Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MOA, Jiangsu Synergetic Innovation Center of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095 , P. R. China
| | - Rui Liu
- College of Food Science and Engineering , Yangzhou University , Yangzhou 225127 , Jiangsu , China
| | - Guanghong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Meat Processing and Quality Control, MOE, Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MOA, Jiangsu Synergetic Innovation Center of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing 210095 , P. R. China
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15
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Al-Thawabieh W, Lucky AW, Wong B, Motley WW. Pediatric Ophthalmoplegia and Ptosis in Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex Associated With Muscular Dystrophy. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus 2018; 55:e26-e29. [PMID: 30180241 DOI: 10.3928/01913913-20180806-03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Oculomotor dysfunction in epidermolysis bullosa simplex associated with muscular dystrophy has been reported rarely in the ophthalmic literature. In a series of 6 patients with epidermolysis bullosa simplex associated with muscular dystrophy, 3 demonstrated ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, or both. Ptosis and ophthalmoplegia may occur early in epidermolysis bullosa simplex associated with muscular dystrophy and aid in diagnosis. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2018;55:e26-e29.].
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16
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Natsuga K, Nishie W, Nishimura M, Shinkuma S, Watanabe M, Izumi K, Nakamura H, Hirako Y, Shimizu H. Loss of interaction between plectin and type XVII collagen results in epidermolysis bullosa simplex. Hum Mutat 2017; 38:1666-1670. [PMID: 28941359 DOI: 10.1002/humu.23344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Plectin is a linker protein that interacts with intermediate filaments and β4 integrin in hemidesmosomes of the epidermal basement membrane zone (BMZ). Type XVII collagen (COL17) has been suggested as another candidate plectin binding partner in hemidesmosomes. Here, we demonstrate that plectin-COL17 binding helps to maintain epidermal BMZ organization. We identified an epidermolysis bullosa (EB) simplex patient as having markedly diminished expression of plectin and COL17 in skin. The patient is compound heterozygous for sequence variants in the plectin gene (PLEC); one is a truncation and the other is a small in-frame deletion sequence variant. The in-frame deletion is located in the putative COL17-binding domain of plectin and abolishes the plectin-COL17 interaction in vitro. These results imply that disrupted interaction between plectin and COL17 is involved in the development of EB. Our study suggests that protein-protein binding defects may underlie EB in patients with unidentified disease-causing sequence variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Natsuga
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Wataru Nishie
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Machiko Nishimura
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Satoru Shinkuma
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
- Division of Dermatology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Mika Watanabe
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kentaro Izumi
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hideki Nakamura
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Hirako
- Division of Biological Science, Nagoya University Graduate School of Science, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Shimizu
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
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17
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Mauldin EA, Wang P, Olivry T, Henthorn PS, Casal ML. Epidermolysis bullosa simplex in sibling Eurasier dogs is caused by a PLEC non-sense variant. Vet Dermatol 2017; 28:10-e3. [PMID: 27878870 PMCID: PMC5324056 DOI: 10.1111/vde.12394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plectin, a large linker protein found in many tissues, acts to connect components of the cytoskeleton to each other. In the epidermis, plectin binds keratin intermediate filaments to hemidesmosomes. A deficiency of plectin in the skin leads to blister formation in the basal layer and the disease epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS). HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES To describe a novel blistering disease that arose spontaneously in a litter of puppies. ANIMALS Two female and one male 20-day-old Eurasier puppies, from a litter of six, were presented for evaluation of failure to thrive and then euthanized due to poor prognosis. The puppies had ulcers on the lips, tongue, nasal planum, paw pads and abdomen. RESULTS Immunolabelling on frozen skin for basement membrane proteins revealed patchy and weak to absent staining for plectin as compared with strong linear staining in normal dogs. Ultrastructurally, hemidesmosomes were irregularly shaped and had loss of distinction between inner and outer plaques. Pedigree analysis supported an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. A premature stop codon was discovered in exon 27 of PLEC that resulted in the production of a severely truncated protein. CONCLUSION The study describes the first documented spontaneous EBS associated with a PLEC variant in domestic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Mauldin
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Thierry Olivry
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 1052 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Paula S. Henthorn
- Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Margret L. Casal
- Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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18
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Cheng CC, Lai YCC, Lai YS, Chao WT, Tseng YH, Hsu YH, Chen YY, Liu YH. Cell Pleomorphism and Cytoskeleton Disorganization in Human Liver Cancer. In Vivo 2016; 30:549-555. [PMID: 27566071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Nucleoskeleton maintains the framework of a cell nucleus that is required for a variety of nuclear functions. However, the nature of nucleoskeleton structure has not been yet clearly elucidated due to microscopy visualization limitations. Plectin, a nuclear pore-permeable component of cytoskeleton, exhibits a role of cross-linking between cytoplasmic intermediate filaments and nuclear lamins. Presumably, plectin is also a part of nucleoskeleton. Previously, we demonstrated that pleomorphism of hepatoma cells is the consequence of cytoskeletal changes mediated by plectin deficiency. In this study, we applied a variety of technologies to detect the cytoskeletons in liver cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS AND RESULTS The images of confocal microscopy did not show the existence of plectin, intermediate filaments, microfilaments and microtubules in hepatic nuclei. However, in the isolated nuclear preparation, immunohistochemical staining revealed positive results for plectin and cytoskeletal proteins that may contribute to the contamination derived from cytoplasmic residues. Therefore, confocal microscopy provides a simple and effective technology to observe the framework of nucleoskeleton. Accordingly, we verified that cytoskeletons are not found in hepatic cell nuclei. Furthermore, the siRNA-mediated knockdown of plectin in liver cells leads to collapsed cytoskeleton, cell transformation and pleomorphic nuclei. CONCLUSION Plectin and cytoskeletons were not detected in the nuclei of liver cells compared to the results of confocal microscopy. Despite the absence of nuclear plectin and cytoskeletal filaments, the evidence provided support that nuclear pleomorphism of cancer cells is correlated with the cytoplasmic disorganization of cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiung-Chi Cheng
- Department of Pathology, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang, Taiwan, R.O.C. Center for General Education, Providence University, Taichung City, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yen-Chang Clark Lai
- Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yih-Shyong Lai
- Department of Pathology, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Wei-Ting Chao
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung City, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yu-Hui Tseng
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung City, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yung-Hsiang Hsu
- Department of Pathology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - You-Yin Chen
- Department of Pathology, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yi-Hsiang Liu
- Department of Pathology, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang, Taiwan, R.O.C. Department of Pathology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, R.O.C.
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19
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Dmello C, Sawant S, Alam H, Gangadaran P, Tiwari R, Dongre H, Rana N, Barve S, Costea DE, Chaukar D, Kane S, Pant H, Vaidya M. Vimentin-mediated regulation of cell motility through modulation of beta4 integrin protein levels in oral tumor derived cells. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2016; 70:161-72. [PMID: 26646105 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2015.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Revised: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Vimentin expression correlates well with migratory and invasive potential of the carcinoma cells. The molecular mechanism by which vimentin regulates cell motility is not yet clear. Here, we addressed this issue by depleting vimentin in oral squamous cell carcinoma derived cell line. Vimentin knockdown cells showed enhanced adhesion and spreading to laminin-5. However, we found that they were less invasive as compared to the vector control cells. In addition, signaling associated with adhesion behavior of the cell was increased in vimentin knockdown clones. These findings suggest that the normal function of β4 integrin as mechanical adhesive device is enhanced upon vimentin downregulation. As a proof of principle, the compromised invasive potential of vimentin depleted cells could be rescued upon blocking with β4 integrin adhesion-blocking (ASC-8) antibody or downregulation of β4 integrin in vimentin knockdown background. Interestingly, plectin which associates with α6β4 integrin in the hemidesmosomes, was also found to be upregulated in vimentin knockdown clones. Furthermore, experiments on lysosome and proteasome inhibition revealed that perhaps vimentin regulates the turnover of β4 integrin and plectin. Moreover, an inverse association was observed between vimentin expression and β4 integrin in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Collectively, our results show a novel role of vimentin in modulating cell motility by destabilizing β4 integrin-mediated adhesive interactions. Further, vimentin-β4 integrin together may prove to be useful markers for prognostication of human oral cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crismita Dmello
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Sharada Sawant
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Hunain Alam
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Prakash Gangadaran
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Richa Tiwari
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Harsh Dongre
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Neha Rana
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Sai Barve
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Daniela Elena Costea
- Gade Laboratory for Pathology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Davendra Chaukar
- Surgical Oncology, Head and Neck Unit, Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Parel, Mumbai, India
| | - Shubhada Kane
- Department of Pathology, Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Parel, Mumbai, India
| | - Harish Pant
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Milind Vaidya
- Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India.
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20
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Abstract
The integrin α6β4, a major component of hemidesmosomes (HDs), stabilizes keratinocyte cell adhesion to the epidermal basement membrane through binding to the cytoskeletal linker protein plectin and association with keratin filaments. Disruption of the α6β4-plectin interaction through phosphorylation of the β4 subunit results in a reduction in adhesive strength of keratinocytes to laminin-332 and the dissolution of HDs. Previously, we have demonstrated that phosphorylation of T1736 in the C-terminal end of the β4 cytoplasmic domain disrupts the interaction of β4 with the plakin domain of plectin. Furthermore, we showed that β4-T1736 can be phosphorylated by PKD1 in vitro, and although both PMA and EGF induced T1736 phosphorylation, only PMA was able to activate PKD1. Here, we show that depletion of [Ca2+]i augments PMA- and EGF-induced phosphorylation of β4-T1736 and that this is caused by inhibition of the calcium-sensitive protein phosphatase calcineurin and augmentation of ERK1/2 activation. We also show that in keratinocytes the PMA-stimulated phosphorylation of β4-T1736 primarily is mediated by PKD2 activation downstream of PKCδ. On the other hand, both the EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of T1736 and the EGF-induced dissolution of HDs are dependent on a functional MAPK signaling pathway, and treatment with the RSK inhibitor BI-D1870 prevented EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of β4-T1736. Moreover, phosphorylation of β4-T1736 is enhanced by overexpression of wild-type RSK1, while it is reduced by the expression of kinase-inactive RSK1 or by siRNA-mediated depletion of RSK1. In summary, our data indicate that different stimuli can lead to the phosphorylation of β4-T1736 by either PKD2 or RSK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa te Molder
- The Division of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Inst., Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arnoud Sonnenberg
- The Division of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Inst., Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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21
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Abstract
Plectin is a large cytoskeletal linker protein with a multitude of functions affecting various cellular processes. It is expressed as several different isoforms from a highly complex gene. Both, this transcript diversity (mainly caused by short 5'-sequences contained in alternative first exons) and the size (>500 kDa) of the resulting proteins, present considerable challenges to plectin researchers. In this chapter, we will consider these problems and offer advice on how to tackle them best. As plectin has been studied most extensively in skin and muscle, we will focus on these types of tissues and describe some selected methods in detail. Foremost, however, we aim to give the readers some good pointers to available tools and into the existing literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günther A Rezniczek
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Herne, Germany
| | - Lilli Winter
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gernot Walko
- Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gerhard Wiche
- Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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22
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Takeichi T, Liu L, Fong K, Ozoemena L, McMillan JR, Salam A, Campbell P, Akiyama M, Mellerio JE, McLean WHI, Simpson MA, McGrath JA. Whole-exome sequencing improves mutation detection in a diagnostic epidermolysis bullosa laboratory. Br J Dermatol 2015; 172:94-100. [PMID: 24947307 DOI: 10.1111/bjd.13190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Subtypes of inherited epidermolysis bullosa (EB) vary significantly in their clinical presentation and prognosis. Establishing an accurate diagnosis is important for genetic counselling and patient management. Current approaches in EB diagnostics involve skin biopsy for immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy, and Sanger sequencing of candidate genes. Although informative in most cases, this approach can be expensive and laborious and may fail to identify pathogenic mutations in ~15% of cases. OBJECTIVES Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) technologies offer a fast and efficient complementary diagnostic strategy, but the value of NGS in EB diagnostics has yet to be explored. The aim of this study was to undertake whole-exome sequencing (WES) in nine cases of EB in which established diagnostic methods failed to make a genetic diagnosis. METHODS Whole-exome capture was performed using genomic DNA from each case of EB, followed by massively parallel sequencing. Resulting reads were mapped to the human genome reference hg19. Potentially pathogenic mutations were subsequently confirmed by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS Analysis of WES data disclosed biallelic pathogenic mutations in each case, with all mutations occurring in known EB genes (LAMB3, PLEC, FERMT1 and COL7A1). This study demonstrates that NGS can improve diagnostic sensitivity in EB compared with current laboratory practice. CONCLUSIONS With appropriate diagnostic platforms and bioinformatics support, WES is likely to increase mutation detection in cases of EB and improve EB diagnostic services, although skin biopsy remains an important diagnostic investigation in current clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Takeichi
- St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College London (Guy's Campus), London, U.K; Department of Dermatology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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23
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Bonakdar N, Schilling A, Spörrer M, Lennert P, Mainka A, Winter L, Walko G, Wiche G, Fabry B, Goldmann WH. Determining the mechanical properties of plectin in mouse myoblasts and keratinocytes. Exp Cell Res 2014; 331:331-7. [PMID: 25447312 PMCID: PMC4325136 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2014.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Revised: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Plectin is the prototype of an intermediate filament (IF)-based cytolinker protein. It affects cells mechanically by interlinking and anchoring cytoskeletal filaments and acts as scaffolding and docking platform for signaling proteins to control cytoskeleton dynamics. The most common disease caused by mutations in the human plectin gene, epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD), is characterized by severe skin blistering and progressive muscular dystrophy. Therefore, we compared the biomechanical properties and the response to mechanical stress of murine plectin-deficient myoblasts and keratinocytes with wild-type cells. Using a cell stretching device, plectin-deficient myoblasts exhibited lower mechanical vulnerability upon external stress compared to wild-type cells, which we attributed to lower cellular pre-stress. Contrary to myoblasts, wild-type and plectin-deficient keratinocytes showed no significant differences. In magnetic tweezer measurements using fibronectin-coated paramagnetic beads, the stiffness of keratinocytes was higher than of myoblasts. Interestingly, cell stiffness, adhesion strength, and cytoskeletal dynamics were strikingly altered in plectin-deficient compared to wild-type myoblasts, whereas smaller differences were observed between plectin-deficient and wild-type keratinocytes, indicating that plectin might be more important for stabilizing cytoskeletal structures in myoblasts than in keratinocytes. Traction forces strongly correlated with the stiffness of plectin-deficient and wild-type myoblasts and keratinocytes. Contrary to that cell motility was comparable in plectin-deficient and wild-type myoblasts, but was significantly increased in plectin-deficient compared to wild-type keratinocytes. Thus, we postulate that the lack of plectin has divergent implications on biomechanical properties depending on the respective cell type. The intermediate filament-associated protein plectin has divergent biomechanical implications depending on cell/tissue type. In plectin−/− myoblasts, cell vulnerability, stiffness, strain and binding strength are lower than in wild-type cells. Plectin−/− keratinocytes exhibit higher cell stiffness, binding strength, strain and velocity than wild-type cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navid Bonakdar
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Achim Schilling
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Marina Spörrer
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Pablo Lennert
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Astrid Mainka
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lilli Winter
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Gernot Walko
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Wiche
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Ben Fabry
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H Goldmann
- Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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24
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Villa CR, Ryan TD, Collins JJ, Taylor MD, Lucky AW, Jefferies JL. Left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy associated with epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy and PLEC1 mutation. Neuromuscul Disord 2014; 25:165-8. [PMID: 25454730 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2014.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2014] [Revised: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Plectin mutations have been reported in epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy. We report the first case of left ventricular non-compaction in an 18-year-old male with epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy. The patient was diagnosed with epidermolysis bullosa simplex after blistering was noted at birth. Motor function difficulties were first recognized at age 11, however the patient was lost to follow up. He was re-evaluated at age 17 and demonstrated significant ptosis, ophthalmoparesis, and pharyngeal muscle weakness. He had predominant proximal muscle weakness with the inability to raise arms against gravity. He was ambulatory for short distances but lost the ability to rise from the floor at 14 years. He was subsequently diagnosed with epidermyolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy and a PLEC1 mutation. Screening cardiovascular imaging revealed a diagnosis of isolated left ventricular non-compaction. This case highlights the potential for delayed onset muscular dystrophy in patients with epidermolysis bullosa simplex. Furthermore, this case also underscores the importance of long term, routine cardiac evaluation, including imaging and electrophysiologic evaluation, in patients with epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy as the cardiac phenotype appears to parallel the variable severity and age of onset that characterize the neuromuscular phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chet R Villa
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Heart Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - Thomas D Ryan
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Heart Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - James J Collins
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Division of Neurology, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Michael D Taylor
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Heart Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Anne W Lucky
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Division of Dermatology, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - John L Jefferies
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Heart Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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25
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Winter L, Staszewska I, Mihailovska E, Fischer I, Goldmann WH, Schröder R, Wiche G. Chemical chaperone ameliorates pathological protein aggregation in plectin-deficient muscle. J Clin Invest 2014; 124:1144-57. [PMID: 24487589 DOI: 10.1172/jci71919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2013] [Accepted: 11/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitously expressed multifunctional cytolinker protein plectin is essential for muscle fiber integrity and myofiber cytoarchitecture. Patients suffering from plectinopathy-associated epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD) and mice lacking plectin in skeletal muscle display pathological desmin-positive protein aggregation and misalignment of Z-disks, which are hallmarks of myofibrillar myopathies (MFMs). Here, we developed immortalized murine myoblast cell lines to examine the pathogenesis of plectinopathies at the molecular and single cell level. Plectin-deficient myotubes, derived from myoblasts, were fully functional and mirrored the pathological features of EBS-MD myofibers, including the presence of desmin-positive protein aggregates and a concurrent disarrangement of the myofibrillar apparatus. Using this cell model, we demonstrated that plectin deficiency leads to increased intermediate filament network and sarcomere dynamics, marked upregulation of HSPs, and reduced myotube resilience following mechanical stretch. Currently, no specific therapy or treatment is available to improve plectin-related or other forms of MFMs; therefore, we assessed the therapeutic potential of chemical chaperones to relieve plectinopathies. Treatment with 4-phenylbutyrate resulted in remarkable amelioration of the pathological phenotypes in plectin-deficient myotubes as well as in plectin-deficient mice. Together, these data demonstrate the biological relevance of the MFM cell model and suggest that this model has potential use for the development of therapeutic approaches for EBS-MD.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation
- Cells, Cultured
- Desmin/metabolism
- Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
- Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics
- Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism
- Intermediate Filaments/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Muscle Fibers, Skeletal/drug effects
- Muscle Fibers, Skeletal/metabolism
- Muscle Strength/drug effects
- Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism
- Muscle, Skeletal/pathology
- Myoblasts/physiology
- Myopathies, Structural, Congenital/drug therapy
- Myopathies, Structural, Congenital/metabolism
- Myopathies, Structural, Congenital/pathology
- Phenylbutyrates/pharmacology
- Phenylbutyrates/therapeutic use
- Plectin/deficiency
- Plectin/genetics
- Protein Stability
- Sarcomeres/metabolism
- Sarcomeres/pathology
- Up-Regulation
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26
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Bolling MC, Jongbloed JDH, Boven LG, Diercks GFH, Smith FJD, Irwin McLean WH, Jonkman MF. Plectin mutations underlie epidermolysis bullosa simplex in 8% of patients. J Invest Dermatol 2014; 134:273-276. [PMID: 23774525 DOI: 10.1038/jid.2013.277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marieke C Bolling
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan D H Jongbloed
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ludolf G Boven
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gilles F H Diercks
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Frances J D Smith
- Epithelial Genetics Group, Division of Molecular Medicine, Colleges of Life Sciences and Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - W H Irwin McLean
- Epithelial Genetics Group, Division of Molecular Medicine, Colleges of Life Sciences and Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Marcel F Jonkman
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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27
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Abstract
Plectin is a large, 500-kDa, intermediate filament (IF)-associated protein. It acts as a cytoskeletal crosslinker and signaling scaffold, affecting mechanical as well as dynamic properties of the cytoskeleton. As a member of the plakin family of cytolinker proteins, plectin has a multidomain structure that is responsible for its vast binding portfolio. It not only binds to all types of IFs, actin filaments and microtubules, but also to transmembrane receptors, proteins of the subplasma membrane protein skeleton, components of the nuclear envelope, and several kinases with known roles in migration, proliferation, and energy metabolism of cells. Due to alternative splicing, plectin is expressed as various isoforms with differing N-terminal heads that dictate their differential subcellular targeting. Through specific interactions with other proteins at their target sites and their ability to bind to all types of IFs, plectin molecules provide strategically located IF anchorage sites within the cytoplasm of cells. In this review, we will present an overview of the structural features and functional properties of plectin and discuss recent progress in defining the role of its isoforms in stress-prone tissues and the implicated diseases, with focus on skin, skeletal muscle, and Schwann cells of peripheral nerve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria J. Castañón
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gernot Walko
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Present Address: Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King’s College London School of Medicine, 28th Floor, Tower Wing, Guy’s Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT UK
| | - Lilli Winter
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Present Address: Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wiche
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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28
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Burch TC, Watson MT, Nyalwidhe JO. Variable metastatic potentials correlate with differential plectin and vimentin expression in syngeneic androgen independent prostate cancer cells. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65005. [PMID: 23717685 PMCID: PMC3661497 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2012] [Accepted: 04/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer is a clinically heterogeneous disease, ranging from indolent asymptomatic disease to very aggressive metastatic and life threatening forms of the disease. Distant metastasis represents the major lethal cause of prostate cancer. The most critical clinical challenge in the management of the patients is identifying those individuals at risk of developing metastatic disease. To understand the molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer metastasis and identify markers with metastatic potential, we have analyzed protein expression in two syngeneic prostate cancer cells lines PC3-N2 and PC3-ML2 using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation labeling and multi-dimensional protein identification technology liquid chromatography matrix assisted laser desorption ionization tandem mass spectrometry. PC3-N2 is lowly metastatic while PC3-ML2 highly metastatic. A total of 1,756 proteins were identified in the analyses with 130 proteins showing different expression levels (p<0.01) in the two cell lines. Out of these, 68 proteins were found to be significantly up-regulated while 62 are significantly down-regulated in PC3-ML2 cells compared with PC3-N2 cells. The upregulation of plectin and vimentin which were the most significantly differentially expressed were validated by Western blot and their functional relevance with respect to invasion and migration was determined by siRNA gene silencing. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that up-regulation of vimentin and plectin expression positively correlates with the invasion and metastasis of androgen-independent PCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya C. Burch
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
- Leroy T. Canoles Jr. Cancer Research Center, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Megan T. Watson
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
- Leroy T. Canoles Jr. Cancer Research Center, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Julius O. Nyalwidhe
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
- Leroy T. Canoles Jr. Cancer Research Center, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
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29
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Winter L, Wiche G. The many faces of plectin and plectinopathies: pathology and mechanisms. Acta Neuropathol 2013; 125:77-93. [PMID: 22864774 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-012-1026-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2012] [Revised: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Plectin, a giant multifunctional cytolinker protein, plays a crucial role in stabilizing and orchestrating intermediate filament networks in cells. Mutations in the human plectin gene result in multiple diseases manifesting with muscular dystrophy, skin blistering, and signs of neuropathy. The most common disease caused by plectin deficiency is epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS)-MD, a rare autosomal-recessive skin blistering disorder with late-onset muscular dystrophy. EBS-MD patients and plectin-deficient mice display pathologic desmin-positive protein aggregates, degenerated myofibrils, and mitochondrial abnormalities, the hallmarks of myofibrillar myopathies. In addition to EBS-MD, plectin mutations have been shown to cause EBS-MD with a myasthenic syndrome, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2Q, EBS with pyloric atresia, and EBS-Ogna. This review focuses on clinical and pathological manifestations of these plectinopathies. It addresses especially plectin's role in skeletal muscle, where a loss of muscle fiber integrity and profound changes of myofiber cytoarchitecture are observed in its absence. Furthermore, the highly complex genetic and molecular structure of plectin is discussed; a high number of differentially spliced exons give rise to a variety of different isoforms, which fulfill distinct functions in different cell types and tissues. Plectin's abilities to act as a dynamic organizer of intermediate filament networks and to interact with a multitude of different interaction partners are the basis for its function as a scaffolding platform for proteins involved in signaling. Finally, the article addresses a series of genetically manipulated mouse lines that were generated to serve as powerful models to study functional and molecular consequences of plectin gene defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilli Winter
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohrgasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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30
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Thomsen C, Udhane S, Runnberg R, Wiche G, Ståhlberg A, Aman P. Fused in sarcoma (FUS) interacts with the cytolinker protein plectin: implications for FUS subcellular localization and function. Exp Cell Res 2012; 318:653-61. [PMID: 22240165 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2011.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2011] [Revised: 12/21/2011] [Accepted: 12/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a multifunctional protein involved in transcriptional control, pre-mRNA processing, RNA transport and translation. The domain structure of FUS reflects its functions in gene regulation and its ability to interact with other proteins, RNA and DNA. By use of a recombinant fragment of FUS in pull-down experiments followed by mass spectrometry analysis we have identified a novel interaction between the FUS N-terminal and the cytolinker plectin. An in situ proximity ligation assay confirmed that FUS-plectin interactions take place in the cytoplasm of cells. Furthermore, plectin deficient cells showed an altered subcellular localization of FUS and a deregulated expression of mRNAs bound to FUS. Our results show that plectin is important for normal FUS localization and function. Mutations involving FUS are causative factors in sarcomas and leukemias and also hereditary forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Plectin deficiency causes epidermolysis bullosa, a disease involving the skin and neuromuscular system. The novel FUS-plectin interaction offers new perspectives for understanding the role of FUS and plectin mutations in the pathogenesis of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christer Thomsen
- Sahlgrenska Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Box 425, 40530, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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31
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Fuchs P, Zörer M, Reipert S, Rezniczek GA, Propst F, Walko G, Fischer I, Bauer J, Leschnik MW, Lüscher B, Thalhammer JG, Lassmann H, Wiche G. Targeted inactivation of a developmentally regulated neural plectin isoform (plectin 1c) in mice leads to reduced motor nerve conduction velocity. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:26502-9. [PMID: 19625254 PMCID: PMC2785338 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.018150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2009] [Revised: 07/08/2009] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytolinker proteins stabilize cells mechanically, regulate cytoskeleton dynamics, and provide scaffolds for signaling molecules. For plectin, the prototype of these proteins, an unusual diversity of isoforms has been reported, which show distinct expression patterns, subcellular localizations, and functions. Plectin has been shown to have important functions in skin and muscle, but little is known about its role in neural cells. To address this issue, we generated two knock-out mouse lines, one which was selectively lacking plectin 1c (P1c), the major isoform expressed in neural cells, and another in which plectin was conditionally deleted in neuronal precursor cells. Using isoform-specific antibodies, we found P1c to be expressed late in development and to associate with postsynaptic dendrites of central nervous system neurons, motorneurons of spinal cord, sciatic nerve axons, and Schwann cells. Motor nerve conduction velocity was found significantly reduced in sciatic nerve from P1c-deficient as well as from conditional knock-out mice. This defect was traceable to an increased number of motor nerve fibers with small cross-sectional areas; the thicknesses of axons and of myelin sheaths were unaffected. This is the first report demonstrating an important role of plectin in a major nerve function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fuchs
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Zörer
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Siegfried Reipert
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Günther A. Rezniczek
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Propst
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gernot Walko
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Irmgard Fischer
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jan Bauer
- the Department of Neuroimmunology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael W. Leschnik
- the Clinic for Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria, and
| | - Bernhard Lüscher
- the Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty of the Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Johann G. Thalhammer
- the Clinic for Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria, and
| | - Hans Lassmann
- the Department of Neuroimmunology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerhard Wiche
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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32
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Na S, Chowdhury F, Tay B, Ouyang M, Gregor M, Wang Y, Wiche G, Wang N. Plectin contributes to mechanical properties of living cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2009; 296:C868-77. [PMID: 19244477 PMCID: PMC2670656 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00604.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2008] [Accepted: 02/19/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Plectin is a 500-kDa cross-linking protein that plays important roles in a number of cell functions including migration and wound healing. We set out to characterize the role of plectin in mechanical properties of living cells. Plectin(-/-) cells were less stiff than plectin(+/+) cells, but the slopes of the two power laws in response to loading frequencies (0.002-1,000 Hz) were similar. Plectin(-/-) cells lost the capacity to propagate mechanical stresses to long distances in the cytoplasm; traction forces in plectin(-/-) cells were only half of those in plectin(+/+) cells, suggesting that plectin deficiency compromised prestress generation, which, in turn, resulted in the inhibition of long distance stress propagation. Both plectin(+/+) and plectin(-/-) cells exhibited nonlinear stress-strain relationships. However, plectin(+/+) cells, but not plectin(-/-) cells, further stiffened in response to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Dynamic fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis revealed that RhoA GTPase proteins were activated in plectin(+/+) cells but not in plectin(-/-) cells after treatment with LPA. Expression in plectin(-/-) cells of constitutively active RhoA (RhoA-V14) but not a dominant negative mutant of RhoA (RhoA-N19) or an empty vector restored the long distance force propagation behavior, suggesting that plectin is important in normal functions of RhoA. Our findings underscore the importance of plectin for mechanical properties, stress propagation, and prestress of living cells, thereby influencing their biological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungsoo Na
- Dept. of Mechanical Science, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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33
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Niculita-Hirzel H, Labbé J, Kohler A, Le Tacon F, Martin F, Sanders IR, Kües U. Gene organization of the mating type regions in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor reveals distinct evolution between the two mating type loci. New Phytol 2008; 180:329-342. [PMID: 18557817 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02525.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In natural conditions, basidiomycete ectomycorrhizal fungi such as Laccaria bicolor are typically in the dikaryotic state when forming symbioses with trees, meaning that two genetically different individuals have to fuse or 'mate'. Nevertheless, nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms of mating in these ecologically important fungi. Here, advantage was taken of the first sequenced genome of the ectomycorrhizal fungus, Laccaria bicolor, to determine the genes that govern the establishment of cell-type identity and orchestrate mating. The L. bicolor mating type loci were identified through genomic screening. The evolutionary history of the genomic regions that contained them was determined by genome-wide comparison of L. bicolor sequences with those of known tetrapolar and bipolar basidiomycete species, and by phylogenetic reconstruction of gene family history. It is shown that the genes of the two mating type loci, A and B, are conserved across the Agaricales, but they are contained in regions of the genome with different evolutionary histories. The A locus is in a region where the gene order is under strong selection across the Agaricales. By contrast, the B locus is in a region where the gene order is likely under a low selection pressure but where gene duplication, translocation and transposon insertion are frequent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Niculita-Hirzel
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jessy Labbé
- UMR 1136, Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, INRA-Nancy, F-54280 Champenoux, France
| | - Annegret Kohler
- UMR 1136, Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, INRA-Nancy, F-54280 Champenoux, France
| | - François Le Tacon
- UMR 1136, Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, INRA-Nancy, F-54280 Champenoux, France
| | - Francis Martin
- UMR 1136, Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, INRA-Nancy, F-54280 Champenoux, France
| | - Ian R Sanders
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore Building, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ursula Kües
- Molecular Wood Biotechnology and Technical Mycology, Büsgen-Institute, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Ackerl R, Walko G, Fuchs P, Fischer I, Schmuth M, Wiche G. Conditional targeting of plectin in prenatal and adult mouse stratified epithelia causes keratinocyte fragility and lesional epidermal barrier defects. J Cell Sci 2007; 120:2435-43. [PMID: 17606998 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.004481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plectin, a widespread intermediate filament-based cytolinker protein capable of interacting with a variety of cytoskeletal structures and plasma membrane-bound junctional complexes, serves essential functions in maintenance of cell and tissue cytoarchitecture. We have generated a mouse line bearing floxed plectin alleles and conditionally deleted plectin in stratified epithelia. This strategy enabled us to study the consequences of plectin deficiency in this particular type of tissues in the context of the whole organism without plectin loss affecting other tissues. Conditional knockout mice died early after birth, showing signs of starvation and growth retardation. Blistering was observed on their extremities and on the oral epithelium after initial nursing, impairing food uptake. Knockout epidermis was very fragile and showed focal epidermal barrier defects caused by the presence of small skin lesions. Stratification, proliferation and differentiation of knockout skin seemed unaffected by epidermis-restricted plectin deficiency. In an additionally generated mouse model, tamoxifen-induced Cre-ER(T)-mediated recombination led to mice with a mosaic plectin deletion pattern in adult epidermis, combined with microblister formation and epidermal barrier defects. Our study explains the early lethality of plectin-deficient mice and provides a model to ablate plectin in adult animals which could be used for developing gene or pharmacological therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhard Ackerl
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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35
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Raymond K, Kreft M, Song JY, Janssen H, Sonnenberg A. Dual Role of alpha6beta4 integrin in epidermal tumor growth: tumor-suppressive versus tumor-promoting function. Mol Biol Cell 2007; 18:4210-21. [PMID: 17699601 PMCID: PMC2043572 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e06-08-0720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
An increased expression of the integrin alpha6beta4 is correlated with a poor prognosis in patients with squamous cell carcinomas. However, little is known about the role of alpha6beta4 in the early stages of tumor development. We have isolated cells from mouse skin (mouse tumor-initiating cells [mTICs]) that are deficient in both p53 and Smad4 and carry conditional alleles of the beta4 gene (Itgb4). The mTICs display many features of multipotent epidermal stem cells and produce well-differentiated tumors after subcutaneous injection into nude mice. Deletion of Itgb4 led to enhanced tumor growth, indicating that alpha6beta4 mediates a tumor-suppressive effect. Reconstitution experiments with beta4-chimeras showed that this effect is not dependent on ligation of alpha6beta4 to laminin-5, but on the recruitment by this integrin of the cytoskeletal linker protein plectin to the plasma membrane. Depletion of plectin, like that of beta4, led to increased tumor growth. In contrast, when mTICs had been further transformed with oncogenic Ras, alpha6beta4 stimulated tumor growth, as previously observed in human squamous neoplasms. Expression of different effector-loop mutants of Ras(V12) suggests that this effect depends on a strong activation of the Erk pathway. Together, these data show that depending on the mutations involved, alpha6beta4 can either mediate an adhesion-independent tumor-suppressive effect or act as a tumor promotor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ji-Ying Song
- Experimental Animal Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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36
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Abstract
Plakins are large multi-domain molecules that have various functions to link cytoskeletal elements together and to connect them to junctional complexes. Plakins were first identified in epithelial cells where they were found to connect the intermediate filaments to desmosomes and hemidesmosomes [Ruhrberg, C., and Watt, F.M. (1997). The plakin family: versatile organizers of cytoskeletal architecture. Curr Opin Genet Dev 7, 392-397.]. They were subsequently found to be important for the integrity of muscle cells. Most recently, they have been found in the nervous system, where their functions appear to be more complex, including cross-linking of microtubules (MTs) and actin filaments [Leung, C.L., Zheng, M., Prater, S.M., and Liem, R.K. (2001). The BPAG1 locus: Alternative splicing produces multiple isoforms with distinct cytoskeletal linker domains, including predominant isoforms in neurons and muscles. J Cell Biol 154, 691-697., Leung, C.L., Sun, D., Zheng, M., Knowles, D.R., and Liem, R.K. (1999). Microtubule actin cross-linking factor (MACF): a hybrid of dystonin and dystrophin that can interact with the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. J Cell Biol 147, 1275-1286.]. These plakins have also indicated their relationship to the spectrin superfamily of proteins and the plakins appear to be evolutionarily related to the spectrins, but have diverged to perform different specialized functions. In invertebrates, a single plakin is present in both Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, which resemble the more complex plakins found in mammals [Roper, K., Gregory, S.L., and Brown, N.H. (2002). The 'spectraplakins': cytoskeletal giants with characteristics of both spectrin and plakin families. J Cell Sci 115, 4215-4225.]. In contrast, there are seven plakins found in mammals and most of them have alternatively spliced forms leading to a very complex group of proteins with potential tissue specific functions [Jefferson, J.J., Leung, C.L., and Liem, R.K. (2004). Plakins: goliaths that link cell junctions and the cytoskeleton. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 5, 542-553.]. In this review, we will first describe the plakins, desmoplakin, plectin, envoplakin and periplakin and then describe two other mammalian plakins, Bullous pemphigoid antigen 1 (BPAG1) and microtubule actin cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1), that are expressed in multiple isoforms in different tissues. We will also describe the relationship of these two proteins to the invertebrate plakins, shortstop (shot) in Drosophila and VAB-10 in C. elegans. Finally, we will describe an unusual mammalian plakin, called epiplakin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnoud Sonnenberg
- Division of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Inst., Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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37
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Sawamura D, Goto M, Sakai K, Nakamura H, McMillan JR, Akiyama M, Shirado O, Oyama N, Satoh M, Kaneko F, Takahashi T, Konno H, Shimizu H. Possible Involvement of Exon 31 Alternative Splicing in Phenotype and Severity of Epidermolysis Bullosa Caused by Mutations in PLEC1. J Invest Dermatol 2007; 127:1537-40. [PMID: 17273164 DOI: 10.1038/sj.jid.5700707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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38
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McMillan JR, Akiyama M, Rouan F, Mellerio JE, Lane EB, Leigh IM, Owaribe K, Wiche G, Fujii N, Uitto J, Eady RAJ, Shimizu H. Plectin defects in epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy. Muscle Nerve 2007; 35:24-35. [PMID: 16967486 DOI: 10.1002/mus.20655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD, MIM 226670) is caused by plectin defects. We performed mutational analysis and immunohistochemistry using EBS-MD (n = 3 cases) and control skeletal muscle to determine pathogenesis. Mutational analysis revealed a novel homozygous plectin-exon32 rod domain mutation (R2465X). All plectin/HD1-121 antibodies stained the control skeletal muscle membrane. However, plectin antibodies stained the cytoplasm of type II control muscle fibers (as confirmed by ATPase staining), whereas HD1-121 stained the cytoplasm of type I fibers. EBS-MD samples lacked membrane (n = 3) but retained cytoplasmic HD1-121 (n = 1) and plectin staining in type II fibers (n = 3). Ultrastructurally, EBS-MD demonstrated widening and vacuolization adjacent to the membrane and disorganization of Z-lines (n = 2 of 3) compared to controls (n = 5). Control muscle immunogold labeling colocalized plectin and desmin to filamentous bridges between Z-lines and the membrane that were disrupted in EBS-MD muscle. We conclude that fiber-specific plectin expression is associated with the desmin-cytoskeleton, Z-lines, and crucially myocyte membrane linkage, analogous to hemidesmosomes in skin.
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MESH Headings
- Adult
- Cell Membrane/metabolism
- Cell Membrane/pathology
- Cell Membrane/ultrastructure
- Child
- Cytoplasm/metabolism
- Cytoplasm/pathology
- Cytoplasm/ultrastructure
- Cytoskeleton/metabolism
- Cytoskeleton/pathology
- Cytoskeleton/ultrastructure
- DNA Mutational Analysis
- Desmosomes/metabolism
- Desmosomes/pathology
- Desmosomes/ultrastructure
- Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex/complications
- Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex/metabolism
- Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex/pathology
- Female
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics
- Humans
- Immunohistochemistry
- Male
- Microscopy, Immunoelectron
- Middle Aged
- Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch/metabolism
- Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch/pathology
- Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch/ultrastructure
- Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch/metabolism
- Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch/pathology
- Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch/ultrastructure
- Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism
- Muscle, Skeletal/pathology
- Muscle, Skeletal/ultrastructure
- Muscular Dystrophies/complications
- Muscular Dystrophies/metabolism
- Muscular Dystrophies/pathology
- Mutation/genetics
- Plectin/analysis
- Plectin/genetics
- Plectin/metabolism
- Protein Structure, Tertiary/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- J R McMillan
- Department of Dermatology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan.
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39
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Steinboeck F, Kristufek D. Identification of the cytolinker protein plectin in neuronal cells - expression of a rodless isoform in neurons of the rat superior cervical ganglion. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2007; 25:1151-69. [PMID: 16392043 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-005-8503-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2004] [Accepted: 08/12/2004] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Plectin, a large (> 500 kDa) dumbbell-shaped cytolinker protein plays an important role in the organization of the cytoskeletal network and the maintenance of cell integrity in a wide variety of tissues and cell types. Earlier experiments revealed the presence of plectin in the central nervous system, whereas the expression in the peripheral nervous system remained unclear. Our results obtained with reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) provide evidence that plectin is expressed in structures of the rat peripheral nervous system. In addition to well-characterized plectin transcripts we were able to reveal novel splicing variants affecting the region coding for the central rod domain. Previous studies report a high, but tissue-specific variability of the N-terminal domain of plectin due to alternatively spliced first coding exons and the optionally spliced small exons 2 alpha and 3 alpha. We demonstrate for the first time, using single-cell RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry, that plectin is expressed in neurons of the rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG). Plectin transcripts of single SCG neurons, starting with exon 1c as the first coding exon, contain the optionally spliced exon 2 alpha but lack exon 31. These data therefore suggest that plectin is expressed in rat SCG neurons as a rodless isoform with the molecular mass of 390 kDa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Steinboeck
- Institute of Cancer Research, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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40
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Fuchs P, Spazierer D, Wiche G. Plectin rodless isoform expression and its detection in mouse brain. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2007; 25:1141-50. [PMID: 16392042 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-005-7826-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2005] [Accepted: 08/08/2005] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The widely expressed cytolinker protein plectin shows extensive isoform diversity both at the N-terminus and in the central part of the molecule. Judged on mRNA data, plectin variants lacking the central rod domain are expressed at a approximately 20-fold lower level than full-length proteins and their detection on the protein level can be difficult. Here we present data on the expression of plectin rodless isoforms in mouse brain and in rat glioma C6 cells on RNA and protein levels. Our data indicate that among the rodless variants expressed in neuronal tissues, those starting with exon 1c (plectin 1c) seem to be the most prominent ones. In addition, we show that similar to other monoclonal antibodies reported in the literature, the widely used mAb 7A8 recognizes an epitope within plectin's rod domain and therefore is unsuited to detect rodless variants of plectin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Fuchs
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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41
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Osmanagic-Myers S, Gregor M, Walko G, Burgstaller G, Reipert S, Wiche G. Plectin-controlled keratin cytoarchitecture affects MAP kinases involved in cellular stress response and migration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 174:557-68. [PMID: 16908671 PMCID: PMC2064261 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200605172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Plectin is a major intermediate filament (IF)-based cytolinker protein that stabilizes cells and tissues mechanically, regulates actin filament dynamics, and serves as a scaffolding platform for signaling molecules. In this study, we show that plectin deficiency is a cause of aberrant keratin cytoskeleton organization caused by a lack of orthogonal IF cross-linking. Keratin networks in plectin-deficient cells were more susceptible to osmotic shock-induced retraction from peripheral areas, and their okadaic acid-induced disruption (paralleled by stress-activated MAP kinase p38 activation) proceeded faster. Basal activities of the MAP kinase Erk1/2 and of the membrane-associated upstream protein kinases c-Src and PKCdelta were significantly elevated, and increased migration rates, as assessed by in vitro wound-closure assays and time-lapse microscopy, were observed. Forced expression of RACK1, which is the plectin-binding receptor protein for activated PKCdelta, in wild-type keratinocytes elevated their migration potential close to that of plectin-null cells. These data establish a link between cytolinker-controlled cytoarchitecture/scaffolding functions of keratin IFs and specific MAP kinase cascades mediating distinct cellular responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selma Osmanagic-Myers
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
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42
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Abstract
Alexander disease (AxD) is a rare but fatal neurological disorder caused by mutations in the astrocyte-specific intermediate filament protein glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Histologically, AxD is characterized by cytoplasmic inclusion bodies called Rosenthal fibers (RFs), which contain GFAP, small heat shock proteins, and other undefined components. Here, we describe the expression of the cytoskeletal linker protein plectin in the AxD brain. RFs displayed positive immunostaining for plectin and GFAP, both of which were increased in the AxD brain. Co-localization, co-immunoprecipitation, and in vitro overlay analyses demonstrated direct interaction of plectin and GFAP. GFAP with the most common AxD mutation, R239C (RC GFAP), mainly formed abnormal aggregates in human primary astrocytes and murine plectin-deficient fibroblasts. Transient transfection of full-length plectin cDNA converted these aggregates to thin filaments, which exhibited diffuse cytoplasmic distribution. Compared to wild-type GFAP expression, RC GFAP expression lowered plectin levels in astrocytoma-derived stable transfectants and plectin-positive fibroblasts. A much higher proportion of total GFAP was found in the Triton X-insoluble fraction of plectin-deficient fibroblasts than in wild-type fibroblasts. Taken together, our results suggest that insufficient amounts of plectin, due to RC GFAP expression, promote GFAP aggregation and RF formation in AxD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rujin Tian
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA
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43
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Gregor M, Zeöld A, Oehler S, Marobela KA, Fuchs P, Weigel G, Hardie DG, Wiche G. Plectin scaffolds recruit energy-controlling AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in differentiated myofibres. J Cell Sci 2006; 119:1864-75. [PMID: 16608880 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.02891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Plectin, a cytolinker protein greater than 500 kDa in size, has an important role as a mechanical stabiliser of cells. It interlinks the various cytoskeletal filament systems and anchors intermediate filaments to peripheral junctional complexes. In addition, there is increasing evidence that plectin acts as a scaffolding platform that controls the spatial and temporal localisation and interaction of signaling proteins. In this study we show that, in differentiated mouse myotubes, plectin binds to the regulatory gamma1 subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the key regulatory enzyme of energy homeostasis. No interaction was observed in undifferentiated myoblasts, and plectin-deficient myotubes showed altered positioning of gamma1-AMPK. In addition we found that plectin affects the subunit composition of AMPK, because isoform alpha1 of the catalytic subunit decreased in proportion to isoform alpha2 during in vitro differentiation of plectin(-/-) myotubes. In plectin-deficient myocytes we could also detect a higher level of activated (Thr172-phosphorylated) AMPK, compared with wild-type cells. Our data suggest a differentiation-dependent association of plectin with AMPK, where plectin selectively stabilises alpha1-gamma1 AMPK complexes by binding to the gamma1 regulatory subunit. The distinct plectin expression patterns in different fibre types combined with its involvement in the regulation of isoform compositions of AMPK complexes could provide a mechanism whereby cytoarchitecture influences energy homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Gregor
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
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44
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Dereure O. Épidermolyse bulleuse simplex associée à une atrésie pylorique liée à une mutation du gène de la plectine. Ann Dermatol Venereol 2006; 133:211. [PMID: 16508616 DOI: 10.1016/s0151-9638(06)70879-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- O Dereure
- Service de Dermatologie, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, 80, avenue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5
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45
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Lesniewicz K, Lüscher-Firzlaff J, Poreba E, Fuchs P, Walsemann G, Wiche G, Lüscher B. Overlap of the gene encoding the novel poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase Parp10 with the plectin 1 gene and common use of exon sequences. Genomics 2006; 86:38-46. [PMID: 15953538 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2005.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2004] [Revised: 03/17/2005] [Accepted: 03/22/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
We have recently identified PARP10 as a novel functional poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The gene encoding PARP10 is conserved in vertebrates but no orthologs were found in lower organisms. In addition to the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase domain, PARP10 possesses several additional sequence motifs, including an RNA recognition motif and two ubiquitin interaction motifs. We characterized the murine genomic locus of the Parp10 gene. We noticed that 3' Parp10 sequences overlapped with the plectin 1 gene in a head-to-tail arrangement. Detailed analyses revealed that the two most 3' Parp10 exons (exons 10 and 11) are also used for plectin 1. While these two exons code for part of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase domain in Parp10, they are noncoding for plectin 1 due to the lack of appropriate start codons. Furthermore our findings suggest that at least one of the plectin 1 promoters is located within intron 9 of the Parp10 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Lesniewicz
- Abteilung Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, Institut für Biochemie, Klinikum der RWTH, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52057 Aachen, Germany
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46
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Abrahamsberg C, Fuchs P, Osmanagic-Myers S, Fischer I, Propst F, Elbe-Bürger A, Wiche G. Targeted ablation of plectin isoform 1 uncovers role of cytolinker proteins in leukocyte recruitment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:18449-54. [PMID: 16344482 PMCID: PMC1317913 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0505380102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Plectin, a typical cytolinker protein, is essential for skin and skeletal muscle integrity. It stabilizes cells mechanically, regulates cytoskeleton dynamics, and serves as a scaffolding platform for signaling molecules. A variety of isoforms expressed in different tissues and cell types account for this versatility. To uncover the role of plectin 1, the major isoform expressed in tissues of mesenchymal origin, against the background of all other variants, we raised plectin isoform 1-specific antibodies and generated isoform-deficient mice. In contrast to plectin-null mice (lacking all plectin isoforms), which die shortly after birth because of severe skin blistering, plectin isoform 1-deficient mice were viable at birth, had a normal lifespan, and did not display the skin blistering phenotype. However, dermal fibroblasts isolated from plectin 1-deficient mice exhibited abnormalities in their actin cytoskeleton and impaired migration potential. Similarly, plectin 1-deficient T cells isolated from nymph nodes showed diminished chemotactic migration in vitro. Most strikingly, in vivo we found that leukocyte infiltration during wound healing was reduced in the mutant mice. These data show a specific role of a cytolinker protein in immune cell motility. Single isoform-deficient mice thus represent a powerful tool to unravel highly specific functions of plectin variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Abrahamsberg
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Campus Vienna Biocenter 4, Dr. Bohrgasse 9, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
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