Myosin VIIa, harmonin and cadherin 23, three Usher I gene products that cooperate to shape the sensory hair cell bundle
Deaf-blindness in three distinct genetic forms of Usher type I syndrome (USH1) is caused by defects in myosin VIIa, harmonin and cadherin 23. Despite being critical for hearing, the functions of these proteins in the inner ear remain elusive. Here we show that harmonin, a PDZ domain-containing protein, and cadherin 23 are both present in the growing stereocilia and that they bind to each other. Moreover, we demonstrate that harmonin b is an F-actin-bundling protein, which is thus likely to anchor cadherin 23 to the stereocilia microfilaments, thereby identifying a novel anchorage mode of the cadherins to the actin cytoskeleton. Moreover, harmonin b interacts directly with myosin VIIa, and i…
The giant spectrin βV couples the molecular motors to phototransduction and Usher syndrome type I proteins along their trafficking route.
International audience; Mutations in the myosin VIIa gene cause Usher syndrome type IB (USH1B), characterized by deaf-blindness. A delay of opsin trafficking has been observed in the retinal photoreceptor cells of myosin VIIa-deficient mice. We identified spectrin bV, the mammalian b-heavy spectrin, as a myosin VIIa-and rhodopsin-interacting partner in photoreceptor cells. Spectrin bV displays a polarized distribution from the Golgi apparatus to the base of the outer segment, which, unlike that of other b spectrins, matches the trafficking route of opsin and other phototransduction proteins. Formation of spectrin bV-rhodopsin complex could be detected in the differentiating photoreceptors a…