Multidimensional Monitoring of Keratin Intermediate Filaments in Cultured Cells and Tissues

2016 ◽  
pp. 59-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Schwarz ◽  
Marcin Moch ◽  
Reinhard Windoffer ◽  
Rudolf E. Leube
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Keratin Intermediate Filaments

Interactions between peripherin and neurofilaments in cultured cells: disruption of peripherin assembly by the NF-M and NF-H subunits

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Martin Beaulieu ◽  
Janice Robertson ◽  
Jean-Pierre Julien
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Peripheral Nervous System ◽  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Intermediate Filament Protein ◽  
Physiological Conditions ◽  
Filament Protein ◽  
Filament Network ◽  
Filament Type

Neurofilaments are the principal intermediate filament type expressed by neurons. They are formed by the co-assembly of three subunits: NF-L, NF-M, and NF-H. Peripherin is another intermediate filament protein expressed mostly in neurons of the peripheral nervous system. In contrast to neurofilaments, peripherin can self-assemble to establish an intermediate filament network in cultured cells. The co-expression of neurofilaments and peripherin is found mainly during development and regeneration. We used SW13 cells devoid of endogenous cytoplasmic intermediate filaments to assess the exact assembly characteristics of peripherin with each neurofilament subunit. Our results demonstrate that peripherin can assemble with NF-L. In contrast, the co-expression of peripherin with the large neurofilament subunits interferes with peripherin assembly. These results confirm the existence of interactions between peripherin and neurofilaments in physiological conditions. Moreover, they suggest that perturbations in the stoichiometry of neurofilaments can have an impact on peripherin assembly in vivo.Key words: peripherin, neurofilament, SW13 cells, intermediate filament.

scholarly journals Discovery of keratin function and role in genetic diseases: the year that 1991 was

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (18) ◽  
pp. 2807-2810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre A. Coulombe
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Mechanical Support ◽  
25Th Anniversary ◽  
Keratin Filaments ◽  
And Function ◽  
Keratin Intermediate Filaments

In 1991, a set of transgenic mouse studies took the fields of cell biology and dermatology by storm in providing the first credible evidence that keratin intermediate filaments play a unique and essential role in the structural and mechanical support in keratinocytes of the epidermis. Moreover, these studies intimated that mutations altering the primary structure and function of keratin filaments underlie genetic diseases typified by cellular fragility. This Retrospective on how these studies came to be is offered as a means to highlight the 25th anniversary of these discoveries.

scholarly journals Assembly of type IV neuronal intermediate filaments in nonneuronal cells in the absence of preexisting cytoplasmic intermediate filaments

1993 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1323-1335 ◽  
Author(s):  
GY Ching ◽  
RK Liem
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Intermediate Filament Protein ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Intermediate Filament Proteins ◽  
Transfected Cells ◽  
Type Iv

We report here on the in vivo assembly of alpha-internexin, a type IV neuronal intermediate filament protein, in transfected cultured cells, comparing its assembly properties with those of the neurofilament triplet proteins (NF-L, NF-M, and NF-H). Like the neurofilament triplet proteins, alpha-internexin coassembles with vimentin into filaments. To study the assembly characteristics of these proteins in the absence of a preexisting filament network, transient transfection experiments were performed with a non-neuronal cell line lacking cytoplasmic intermediate filaments. The results showed that only alpha-internexin was able to self-assemble into extensive filamentous networks. In contrast, the neurofilament triplet proteins were incapable of homopolymeric assembly into filamentous arrays in vivo. NF-L coassembled with either NF-M or NF-H into filamentous structures in the transfected cells, but NF-M could not form filaments with NF-H. alpha-internexin could coassemble with each of the neurofilament triplet proteins in the transfected cells to form filaments. When all but 2 and 10 amino acid residues were removed from the tail domains of NF-L and NF-M, respectively, the resulting NF-L and NF-M deletion mutants retained the ability to coassemble with alpha-internexin into filamentous networks. These mutants were also capable of forming filaments with other wild-type neurofilament triplet protein subunits. These results suggest that the tail domains of NF-L and NF-M are dispensable for normal coassembly of each of these proteins with other type IV intermediate filament proteins to form filaments.

Cryo-Electron Microscopy of Trichocyte (Hard α-Keratin) Intermediate Filaments Reveals a Low-Density Core

2002 ◽  
Vol 137 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman R. Watts ◽  
Leslie N. Jones ◽  
Naiqian Cheng ◽  
Joseph S. Wall ◽  
David A.D. Parry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Keratin Intermediate Filaments

scholarly journals Cytoskeleton in motion: the dynamics of keratin intermediate filaments in epithelia

2011 ◽  
Vol 194 (5) ◽  
pp. 669-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhard Windoffer ◽  
Michael Beil ◽  
Thomas M. Magin ◽  
Rudolf E. Leube
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Protein Biosynthesis ◽  
Epithelial Tissue ◽  
Multistep Process ◽  
Keratin Filament ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Cytoskeletal Networks ◽  
Microtubule Networks ◽  
Keratin Intermediate Filaments

Epithelia are exposed to multiple forms of stress. Keratin intermediate filaments are abundant in epithelia and form cytoskeletal networks that contribute to cell type–specific functions, such as adhesion, migration, and metabolism. A perpetual keratin filament turnover cycle supports these functions. This multistep process keeps the cytoskeleton in motion, facilitating rapid and protein biosynthesis–independent network remodeling while maintaining an intact network. The current challenge is to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of the keratin cycle in relation to actin and microtubule networks and in the context of epithelial tissue function.

scholarly journals Intermediate filaments exchange subunits along their length and elongate by end-to-end annealing

2009 ◽  
Vol 185 (5) ◽  
pp. 769-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gülsen Çolakoğlu ◽  
Anthony Brown
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Fusion Proteins ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Intermediate Filament Proteins ◽  
Subunit Exchange ◽  
End To End ◽  
Vimentin Intermediate Filament ◽  
Vimentin Filaments

Actin filaments and microtubules lengthen and shorten by addition and loss of subunits at their ends, but it is not known whether this is also true for intermediate filaments. In fact, several studies suggest that in vivo, intermediate filaments may lengthen by end-to-end annealing and that addition and loss of subunits is not confined to the filament ends. To test these hypotheses, we investigated the assembly dynamics of neurofilament and vimentin intermediate filament proteins in cultured cells using cell fusion, photobleaching, and photoactivation strategies in combination with conventional and photoactivatable fluorescent fusion proteins. We show that neurofilaments and vimentin filaments lengthen by end-to-end annealing of assembled filaments. We also show that neurofilaments and vimentin filaments incorporate subunits along their length by intercalation into the filament wall with no preferential addition of subunits to the filament ends, a process which we term intercalary subunit exchange.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document