| 1. |
- Byri, Sunitha, et al.
(författare)
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The Triple-Repeat Protein Anakonda Controls Epithelial Tricellular Junction Formation in Drosophila
- 2015
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Ingår i: Developmental Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 1534-5807. ; 33:5, s. 535-548
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In epithelia, specialized tricellular junctions (TCJs) mediate cell contacts at three-cell vertices. TCJs are fundamental to epithelial biology and disease, but only a few TCJ components are known, and how they assemble at tricellular vertices is not understood. Here we describe a transmembrane protein, Anakonda (Aka), which localizes to TCJs and is essential for the formation of tricellular, but not bicellular, junctions in Drosophila. Loss of Aka causes epithelial barrier defects associated with irregular TCJ structure and geometry, suggesting that Aka organizes cell corners. Aka is necessary and sufficient for accumulation of Gliotactin at TCJs, suggesting that Aka initiates TCJ assembly by recruiting other proteins to tricellular vertices. Aka's extracellular domain has an unusual tripartite repeat structure that may mediate self-assembly, directed by the geometry of tricellular vertices. Conversely, Aka's cytoplasmic tail is dispensable for TCJ localization. Thus, extracellular interactions, rather than TCJ-directed intracellular transport, appear to mediate TCJ assembly.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Cinege, G., et al.
(författare)
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Genes encoding cuticular proteins are components of the Nimrod gene cluster in Drosophila
- 2017
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Ingår i: Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0965-1748 .- 1879-0240. ; 87, s. 45-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Nimrod gene cluster, located on the second chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster, is the largest synthenic unit of the Drosophila genome. Nimrod genes show blood cell specific expression and code for phagocytosis receptors that play a major role in fruit fly innate immune functions. We previously identified three homologous genes (vajk-1, vajk-2 and vajk-3) located within the Nimrod cluster, which are unrelated to the Nimrod genes, but are homologous to a fourth gene (vajk-4) located outside the cluster. Here we show that, unlike the Nimrod candidates, the Vajk proteins are expressed in cuticular structures of the late embryo and the late pupa, indicating that they contribute to cuticular barrier functions. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
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| 4. |
- Dahl-Halvarsson, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Drosophila model of myosin myopathy rescued by overexpression of a TRIM-protein family member
- 2018
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 115:28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Myosin is a molecular motor indispensable for body movement and heart contractility. Apart from pure cardiomyopathy, mutations in MYH7 encoding slow/beta-cardiac myosin heavy chain also cause skeletal muscle disease with or without cardiac involvement. Mutations within the alpha-helical rod domain of MYH7 are mainly associated with Laing distal myopathy. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the pathology of the recurrent causative MYH7 mutation (K1729del), we have developed a Drosophila melanogaster model of Laing distal myopathy by genomic engineering of the Drosophila Mhc locus. Homozygous MhcK1728del animals die during larval/pupal stages, and both homozygous and heterozygous larvae display reduced muscle function. Flies expressing only MhcK1728del in indirect flight and jump muscles, and heterozygous MhcK1728del animals, were flightless, with reduced movement and decreased lifespan. Sarcomeres of MhcK1728del mutant indirect flight muscles and larval body wall muscles were disrupted with clearly disorganized muscle filaments. Homozygous MhcK1728del larvae also demonstrated structural and functional impairments in heart muscle, which were not observed in heterozygous animals, indicating a dose-dependent effect of the mutated allele. The impaired jump and flight ability and the myopathy of indirect flight and leg muscles associated with MhcK1728del were fully suppressed by expression of Abba/Thin, an E3-ligase that is essential for maintaining sarcomere integrity. This model of Laing distal myopathy in Drosophila recapitulates certain morphological phenotypic features seen in Laing distal myopathy patients with the recurrent K1729del mutation. Our observations that Abba/Thin modulates these phenotypes suggest that manipulation of Abba/Thin activity levels may be beneficial in Laing distal myopathy.
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| 5. |
- Ejeskär, Katarina, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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The Unique Non-Catalytic C-Terminus of P37delta-PI3K Adds Proliferative Properties In Vitro and In Vivo
- 2015
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Ingår i: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PI3K/Akt pathway is central for numerous cellular functions and is frequently deregulated in human cancers. The catalytic subunits of PI3K, p110, are thought to have a potential oncogenic function, and the regulatory subunit p85 exerts tumor suppressor properties. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a highly suitable system to investigate PI3K signaling, expressing one catalytic, Dp110, and one regulatory subunit, Dp60, and both show strong homology with the human PI3K proteins p110 and p85. We recently showed that p37 delta, an alternatively spliced product of human PI3K p110 delta, displayed strong proliferation-promoting properties despite lacking the catalytic domain completely. Here we functionally evaluate the different domains of human p37 delta in Drosophila. The N-terminal region of Dp110 alone promotes cell proliferation, and we show that the unique C-terminal region of human p37 delta further enhances these proliferative properties, both when expressed in Drosophila, and in human HEK-293 cells. Surprisingly, although the N-terminal region of Dp110 and the C-terminal region of p37 delta both display proliferative effects, over-expression of full length Dp110 or the N-terminal part of Dp110 decreases survival in Drosophila, whereas the unique C-terminal region of p37 delta prevents this effect. Furthermore, we found that the N-terminal region of the catalytic subunit of PI3K p110, including only the Dp60 (p85)-binding domain and a minor part of the Ras binding domain, rescues phenotypes with severely impaired development caused by Dp60 over-expression in Drosophila, possibly by regulating the levels of Dp60, and also by increasing the levels of phosphorylated Akt. Our results indicate a novel kinase-independent function of the PI3K catalytic subunit.
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| 6. |
- Fransson, Susanne, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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p37δ is a new isoform of PI3K p110δ that increases cell proliferation and is overexpressed in tumors
- 2012
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Ingår i: Oncogene. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0950-9232 .- 1476-5594. ; 31:27, s. 3277-3286
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) regulate cell growth, proliferation and survival, and are frequently affected in human cancer. PI3K is composed of a catalytic subunit, p110, and a regulatory subunit, p85. The PI3K catalytic subunit p110δ is encoded by PIK3CD and contains p85- and RAS-binding domains, and a kinase domain. Here we present an alternatively spliced PIK3CD transcript encoding a previously unknown protein, p37δ, and demonstrate that this protein is expressed in human ovarian and colorectal tumors. p37δ retains the p85-binding domain and a fraction of the RAS-binding domain, lacks the catalytic domain, and has a unique carboxyl-terminal region. In contrast to p110δ, which stabilizes p85, p37δ promoted p85 sequestering. Despite the truncated RAS-binding domain, p37δ bound to RAS and we found a strong positive correlation between the protein levels of p37δ and RAS. Overexpressing p37δ, but not p110δ, increased the proliferation and invasive properties of HEK-293 cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Cells overexpressing p37δ showed a quicker phosphorylation response of AKT and ERK1/2 following serum stimulation. Ubiquitous expression of human p37δ in the fruit fly increased body size, DNA content and phosphorylated ERK1/2 levels. Thus, p37δ appears to be a new tumor-specific isoform of p110δ with growth-promoting properties.
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| 7. |
- Gaengel, K., et al.
(författare)
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The Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor S1PR1 Restricts Sprouting Angiogenesis by Regulating the Interplay between VE-Cadherin and VEGFR2
- 2012
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Ingår i: Developmental Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 1534-5807 .- 1878-1551. ; 23:3, s. 587-599
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels arise from preexisting ones, is critical for embryonic development and is an integral part of many disease processes. Recent studies have provided detailed information on how angiogenic sprouts initiate, elongate, and branch, but less is known about how these processes cease. Here, we show that S1PR1, a receptor for the blood-borne bioactive lipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), is critical for inhibition of angiogenesis and acquisition of vascular stability. Loss of S1PR1 leads to increased endothelial cell sprouting and the formation of ectopic vessel branches. Conversely, S1PR1 signaling inhibits angiogenic sprouting and enhances cell-to-cell adhesion. This correlates with inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A)-induced signaling and stabilization of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin localization at endothelial junctions. Our data suggest that S1PR1 signaling acts as a vascular-intrinsic stabilization mechanism, protecting developing blood vessels against aberrant angiogenic responses.
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| 8. |
- Luschnig, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Luminal matrices: An inside view on organ morphogenesis
- 2014
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Ingår i: Experimental Cell Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4827 .- 1090-2422. ; 321:1, s. 64-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tubular epithelia come in various shapes and sizes to accommodate the specific needs for transport, excretion and absorption in multicellular organisms. The intestinal tract, glandular organs and conduits for liquids and gases are all lined by a continuous layer of epithelial cells, which form the boundary of the luminal space. Defects in epithelial architecture and lumen dimensions will impair transport and can lead to serious organ malfunctions. Not surprisingly, multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms contribute to the shape of tubular epithelial structures. One intriguing aspect of epithelial organ formation is the highly coordinate behavior of individual cells as they mold the mature lumen. Here, we focus on recent findings, primarily from Drosophila, demonstrating that informative cues can emanate from the developing organ lumen in the form of solid luminal material. The luminal material is produced by the surrounding epithelium and helps to coordinate changes in shape and arrangement of the very same cells, resulting in correct lumen dimensions. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.
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| 9. |
- Moussian, Bernard, et al.
(författare)
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An ancient control of epithelial barrier formation and wound healing.
- 2005
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Ingår i: BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. - : Wiley. - 0265-9247. ; 27:10, s. 987-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Animal epithelia are lined with apical surface matrices, which protect against pathogens, dehydration and physical damage of the underlying cells. The proteins and polysaccharides that comprise these protective barriers vary greatly within the animal kingdom and have evolved in response to the biological needs of various organisms. Yet the genetic control of barrier formation and its regeneration upon wounding appears conserved between vertebrates and insects that are evolutionary more than several hundred millions of years apart. A key role is carried out by Grainy head, a phylogenetically conserved transcription factor expressed in epidermal cells in nematodes, flies, frogs, mice and humans.
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| 10. |
- Moussian, Bernard, et al.
(författare)
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Drosophila Knickkopf and Retroactive are needed for epithelial tube growth and cuticle differentiation through their specific requirement for chitin filament organization.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Development (Cambridge, England). - : The Company of Biologists. - 0950-1991 .- 1477-9129. ; 133:1, s. 163-71
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Precise epithelial tube diameters rely on coordinated cell shape changes and apical membrane enlargement during tube growth. Uniform tube expansion in the developing Drosophila trachea requires the assembly of a transient intraluminal chitin matrix, where chitin forms a broad cable that expands in accordance with lumen diameter growth. Like the chitinous procuticle, the tracheal luminal chitin cable displays a filamentous structure that presumably is important for matrix function. Here, we show that knickkopf (knk) and retroactive (rtv) are two new tube expansion mutants that fail to form filamentous chitin structures, both in the tracheal and cuticular chitin matrices. Mutations in knk and rtv are known to disrupt the embryonic cuticle, and our combined genetic analysis and chemical chitin inhibition experiments support the argument that Knk and Rtv specifically assist in chitin function. We show that Knk is an apical GPI-linked protein that acts at the plasma membrane. Subcellular mislocalization of Knk in previously identified tube expansion mutants that disrupt septate junction (SJ) proteins, further suggest that SJs promote chitinous matrix organization and uniform tube expansion by supporting polarized epithelial protein localization. We propose a model in which Knk and the predicted chitin-binding protein Rtv form membrane complexes essential for epithelial tubulogenesis and cuticle formation through their specific role in directing chitin filament assembly.
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