Search results for "Actinin"
showing 10 items of 12 documents
Actinin-4 splice variant - a complementary diagnostic and prognostic marker of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms.
2019
Introduction: For pathological diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs) the routinely used immunohistochemical markers are chromogranin A (CgA) and synaptophysin (Syn). Their ability as prognostic markers is not well established. A splice variant of actinin-4 (Actn-4sv) was recently found to be an excellent biomarker of neuroendocrine neoplasms of the lung. We aimed to investigate the expression of Actn-4sv in pNENs and evaluate its quality as a biomarker of pNENs. Methods: Paraffin-embedded and frozen tissues specimens from 122 pNENs were analyzed. Western blots were performed to prove and compare the relative amount of Actn-4sv expression in pNENs tissue homogenates. For c…
The Stress-Inducible Protein DRR1 Exerts Distinct Effects on Actin Dynamics.
2018
Cytoskeletal dynamics are pivotal to memory, learning, and stress physiology, and thus psychiatric diseases. Downregulated in renal cell carcinoma 1 (DRR1) protein was characterized as the link between stress, actin dynamics, neuronal function, and cognition. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, we undertook a domain analysis of DRR1 and probed the effects on actin binding, polymerization, and bundling, as well as on actin-dependent cellular processes. Methods: DRR1 domains were cloned and expressed as recombinant proteins to perform in vitro analysis of actin dynamics (binding, bundling, polymerization, and nucleation). Cellular actin-dependent processes were analyzed in trans…
Genetic and Epigenetic Modulation of Cell Functions by Physical Exercise
2019
Since ancient times, the importance of physical activity (PA) and of a wholesome diet for human health has been clearly recognized. However, only recently, it has been acknowledged that PA can reverse at least some of the unwanted effects of a sedentary lifestyle, contributing to the treatment of pathologies such as hypertension and diabetes, to the delay of aging and neurodegeneration, and even to the improvement of immunity and cognitive processes. At the same time, the cellular and molecular bases of these effects are beginning to be uncovered. The original research articles and reviews published in this Special Issue on “Genetic and Epigenetic Modulation of Cell Functions by Physical Ex…
Characterization of the interaction between Actinin-Associated LIM Protein (ALP) and the rod domain of α-actinin
2009
Abstract Background The PDZ-LIM proteins are a family of signalling adaptors that interact with the actin cross-linking protein, α-actinin, via their PDZ domains or via internal regions between the PDZ and LIM domains. Three of the PDZ-LIM proteins have a conserved 26-residue ZM motif in the internal region, but the structure of the internal region is unknown. Results In this study, using circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), we showed that the ALP internal region (residues 107–273) was largely unfolded in solution, but was able to interact with the α-actinin rod domain in vitro, and to co-localize with α-actinin on stress fibres in vivo. NMR analysis revealed that the ti…
Arsenic trioxide alters the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cell into cardiomyocytes
2015
AbstractChronic arsenic exposure is associated with increased morbidity and mortality for cardiovascular diseases. Arsenic increases myocardial infarction mortality in young adulthood, suggesting that exposure during foetal life correlates with cardiac alterations emerging later. Here, we investigated the mechanisms of arsenic trioxide (ATO) cardiomyocytes disruption during their differentiation from mouse embryonic stem cells. Throughout 15 days of differentiation in the presence of ATO (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 μM) we analysed: the expression of i) marker genes of mesoderm (day 4), myofibrillogenic commitment (day 7) and post-natal-like cardiomyocytes (day 15); ii) sarcomeric proteins and their orga…
Muscleblind isoforms are functionally distinct and regulate α-actinin splicing
2007
Drosophila Muscleblind (Mbl) proteins control terminal muscle and neural differentiation, but their molecular function has not been experimentally addressed. Such an analysis is relevant as the human Muscleblind-like homologs (MBNL1-3) are implicated in the pathogenesis of the inherited muscular developmental and degenerative disease myotonic dystrophy. The Drosophila muscleblind gene expresses four protein coding splice forms (mblA to mblD) that are differentially expressed during the Drosophila life cycle, and which vary markedly in their ability to rescue the embryonic lethal phenotype of muscleblind mutant flies. Analysis of muscleblind mutant embryos reveals misregulated alternative sp…
β1-Integrin Cytoplasmic Subdomains Involved in Dominant Negative Function
1998
The beta1-integrin cytoplasmic domain consists of a membrane proximal subdomain common to the four known isoforms ("common" region) and a distal subdomain specific for each isoform ("variable" region). To investigate in detail the role of these subdomains in integrin-dependent cellular functions, we used beta1A and beta1B isoforms as well as four mutants lacking the entire cytoplasmic domain (beta1TR), the variable region (beta1COM), or the common region (beta1 deltaCOM-B and beta1 deltaCOM-A). By expressing these constructs in Chinese hamster ovary and beta1 integrin-deficient GD25 cells (Wennerberg et al., J Cell Biol 132, 227-238, 1996), we show that beta1B, beta1COM, beta1 deltaCOM-B, a…
Muscle-Related Polymorphisms (MSTN rs1805086 and ACTN3 rs1815739) Are Not Associated with Exceptional Longevity in Japanese Centenarians
2016
Myostatin (MSTN) and α-actinin-3 (ACTN3) genes are potentially associated with preservation of muscle mass and oxidative capacity, respectively. To explore the possible role of these genes in exceptional longevity (EL), the allele/genotype frequency distribution of two polymorphisms in MSTN (rs1805086, K153R) and ACTN3 (rs1815739, R577X) was studied in Japanese centenarians of both sexes (n = 742) and healthy controls (n = 814). The rs1805086 R-allele (theoretically associated with muscle mass preservation at the expense of oxidative capacity) was virtually absent in the two groups, where genotype distributions were virtually identical. Likewise, no differences in allele (p = 0.838 (women);…
Cytoskeletal features in longitudinal and circular smooth muscles during development of the rat portal vein.
1995
Immunohistochemistry of alpha-smooth muscle actin and desmin, two markers of smooth muscle cell differentiation, and electron-microscopic observation of thick filaments of myosin were performed on the media of the developing rat hepatic portal vein to gain insights into the chronology of differentiation of its longitudinal and circular smooth muscles. In accordance with the ultrastructural distribution of thin filaments, staining of alpha-smooth muscle actin is lightly positive in the myoblasts at postnatal day 1 and then extends in probably all muscle cells of the developing vessel. Desmin, which appears later than alpha-smooth muscle actin in the two muscles, is distributed throughout the…
Nemaline myopathy with intranuclear rods--intranuclear rod myopathy.
1997
Among the different nosological forms of nemaline/rod myopathy, one morphological variant is marked by intranuclear rods in addition to sarcoplasmic rods. Such patients fall into two categories: firstly, adults and secondly, young infants suffering from the severe form. Intranuclear rods indicate unfavourable prognosis. Recently, intranuclear rods without sarcoplasmic rods have also been encountered. Intranuclear rods, largely solitary, are often found large in size with the ultrastructural lattice pattern of sarcoplasmic rods and Z-disks. They contain alpha-actinin and actin. The origin of intranuclear rods is still enigmatic. Their presence within nuclei without sarcoplasmic rods points t…