scholarly journals Filamin A Regulates Cardiovascular Remodeling

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6555
Author(s):  
Sashidar Bandaru ◽  
Chandu Ala ◽  
Alex-Xianghua Zhou ◽  
Levent M. Akyürek

Filamin A (FLNA) is a large actin-binding cytoskeletal protein that is important for cell motility by stabilizing actin networks and integrating them with cell membranes. Interestingly, a C-terminal fragment of FLNA can be cleaved off by calpain to stimulate adaptive angiogenesis by transporting multiple transcription factors into the nucleus. Recently, increasing evidence suggests that FLNA participates in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, in which the interaction of FLNA with transcription factors and/or cell signaling molecules dictate the function of vascular cells. Localized FLNA mutations associate with cardiovascular malformations in humans. A lack of FLNA in experimental animal models disrupts cell migration during embryogenesis and causes anomalies, including heart and vessels, similar to human malformations. More recently, it was shown that FLNA mediates the progression of myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis. Thus, these latest findings identify FLNA as an important novel mediator of cardiovascular development and remodeling, and thus a potential target for therapy. In this update, we summarized the literature on filamin biology with regard to cardiovascular cell function.

2007 ◽  
Vol 179 (5) ◽  
pp. 1011-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumihiko Nakamura ◽  
Teresia M. Osborn ◽  
Christopher A. Hartemink ◽  
John H. Hartwig ◽  
Thomas P. Stossel

Filamin A (FLNa) can effect orthogonal branching of F-actin and bind many cellular constituents. FLNa dimeric subunits have N-terminal spectrin family F-actin binding domains (ABDs) and an elongated flexible segment of 24 immunoglobulin (Ig) repeats. We generated a library of FLNa fragments to examine their F-actin binding to define the structural properties of FLNa that enable its various functions. We find that Ig repeats 9–15 contain an F-actin–binding domain necessary for high avidity F-actin binding. Ig repeats 16–24, where most FLNa-binding partners interact, do not bind F-actin, and thus F-actin does not compete with Ig repeat 23 ligand, FilGAP. Ig repeats 16–24 have a compact structure that suggests their unfolding may accommodate pre-stress–mediated stiffening of F-actin networks, partner binding, mechanosensing, and mechanoprotection properties of FLNa. Our results also establish the orientation of FLNa dimers in F-actin branching. Dimerization, mediated by FLNa Ig repeat 24, accounts for rigid high-angle FLNa/F-actin branching resistant to bending by thermal forces, and high avidity F-actin binding and cross-linking.


2017 ◽  
Vol 217 (2) ◽  
pp. 779-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca C. Adikes ◽  
Ryan A. Hallett ◽  
Brian F. Saway ◽  
Brian Kuhlman ◽  
Kevin C. Slep

We developed a novel optogenetic tool, SxIP–improved light-inducible dimer (iLID), to facilitate the reversible recruitment of factors to microtubule (MT) plus ends in an end-binding protein–dependent manner using blue light. We show that SxIP-iLID can track MT plus ends and recruit tgRFP-SspB upon blue light activation. We used this system to investigate the effects of cross-linking MT plus ends and F-actin in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells to gain insight into spectraplakin function and mechanism. We show that SxIP-iLID can be used to temporally recruit an F-actin binding domain to MT plus ends and cross-link the MT and F-actin networks. Cross-linking decreases MT growth velocities and generates a peripheral MT exclusion zone. SxIP-iLID facilitates the general recruitment of specific factors to MT plus ends with temporal control enabling researchers to systematically regulate MT plus end dynamics and probe MT plus end function in many biological processes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Xue ◽  
Deanna M. Janzen ◽  
David A. Knecht

Numerous F-actin containing structures are involved in regulating protrusion of membrane at the leading edge of motile cells. We have investigated the structure and dynamics of filopodia as they relate to events at the leading edge and the function of the trailing actin networks. We have found that although filopodia contain parallel bundles of actin, they contain a surprisingly nonuniform spatial and temporal distribution of actin binding proteins. Along the length of the actin filaments in a single filopodium, the most distal portion contains primarily T-plastin, while the proximal portion is primarily bound byα-actinin and coronin. Some filopodia are stationary, but lateral filopodia move with respect to the leading edge. They appear to form a mechanical link between the actin polymerization network at the front of the cell and the myosin motor activity in the cell body. The direction of lateral filopodial movement is associated with the direction of cell migration. When lateral filopodia initiate from and move toward only one side of a cell, the cell will turn opposite to the direction of filopodial flow. Therefore, this filopodia-myosin II system allows actin polymerization driven protrusion forces and myosin II mediated contractile force to be mechanically coordinated.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheikh Seye ◽  
Wilbert Derbigny ◽  
Shaomin Qian

Rationale: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the LGASL2 galectin-2 (Gal-2) gene leads to altered secretion of lymphotoxin-α (LT-α) and is associated with coronary artery disease. Objective:Our aim was to determine whether factors other than genetic variations in LGASL2 regulate LT-α release and to define the role of this pro-inflammatory in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC). Methods and results: The proinflammatory cytokine lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA) is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. However, the mechanisms that regulate its expression in VSMC are poorly understood. The ability of exogenous nucleotides to stimulate LTA production was evaluated in VSMC by ELISA. The P2Y 2 nucleotide receptor (P2Y 2 R) agonist UTP stimulates a strong and sustained release of LTA from wild-type but not P2Y 2 R -/- SMC. Assessment of LTA gene transcription by LTA promoter-luciferase construct indicated that LTA levels are controlled at the level of transcription. We show using RNAi techniques that knockdown of the actin-binding protein filamin-A (FLNa) severely impaired nucleotide-induced Rho activation and consequent Rho-mediated LTA secretion. Re-introduction of FLNa in FLNa RNAi SMC rescued UTP-induced LTA expression. In addition, we found UTP-stimulated LTA secretion is not sensitive to brefeldin A (BFA), which blocks the formation of vesicles involved in protein transport from the ER to the Golgi apparatus, suggesting that P2Y 2 R/filamin-mediated secretion of LTA is independent of the ER/Golgi secretory vesicle route. Furthermore, UTP selectively induces ICAM-1 expression in WT but not SMC expressing a truncated P2Y 2 R deficient in LTA secretion. Conclusion: These data suggest that P2Y 2 R recruits FLNa to provide a cytoskeletal scaffold necessary for Rho signaling pathway upstream of LTA release and subsequent stimulation of ICAM-1 expression on VSMC.


Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Weisman ◽  
Ningpu Yu ◽  
Cansu Agca ◽  
Rikka Shivaji ◽  
Ying Wan ◽  
...  

Inflammatory processes play a crucial role in atherosclerotic lesion growth. A number of pro-inflammatory molecules have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, including lymphotoxin-α (LTA). Our research has shown that activation of a G protein-coupled P2Y 2 nucleotide receptor (P2Y 2 R) expressed in vascular cells mediates inflammatory responses. To examine the role of the P2Y 2 R in lesion growth, we developed P2Y 2 R over-expressing transgenic rats. Collar-induced injury to the carotid artery of P2Y 2 R transgenic rats caused a dramatic increase in intimal lesion growth and significant macrophage accumulation, which nearly blocked the arterial lumen. Immunohistochemical staining showed that LTA and galectin-2 (gal-2) were abundantly expressed in smooth muscle cells (SMC) and macrophages in carotid lesions of P2Y 2 R transgenic rats. We also identified galectin-2 as a P2Y 2 R binding partner using the yeast two-hybrid system and a co-immunoprecipitation assay. P2Y 2 R agonist, UTP, stimulated gal-2 mRNA expression in rat carotid SMC. Transient transfection of SMC with a genomic fragment including the rat galectin (LGALS2) promoter incorporated into a luciferase (pGL-3) reporter vector showed that UTP markedly increased LGALS2 promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, UTP induced LTA secretion in cultured aortic SMC from wild type, but not P2Y 2 R −/− mice. Adenoviral expression of the full length P2Y 2 R in SMC from P2Y 2 R −/− mice fully restored UTP-induced LTA secretion. However, expression of a mutant P2Y 2 R that does not bind filamin A, an actin-binding protein that interacts with the P2Y 2 R, only partially restored UTP-induced LTA secretion in P2Y 2 R −/− SMC. Gal-2 siRNA partially inhibited LTA release into medium of cultured SMC expressing the P2Y 2 R. In contrast, gal-2 siRNA abolished UTP-induced LTA secretion in SMC isolated from P2Y 2 R −/− mice expressing the filamin A binding mutant P2Y 2 R. These results indicate that P2Y 2 Rs regulate gal-2-dependent LTA secretion in SMC via a filamin A-dependent mechanism that likely contributes to vascular inflammation.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 91 (12) ◽  
pp. 4786-4795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas H. Howard ◽  
John Hartwig ◽  
Casey Cunningham

Abstract Despite its name, the actin-binding protein lymphocyte-specific protein1 (LSP1) is found in all hematopoetic cells, and yet its role in cell function remains unclear. Recently, LSP1 was identified as the 47-kD protein overexpressed in the polymorphonuclear neutrophils of patients with a rare neutrophil disorder, neutrophil actin dysfunction with abnormalities of 47-kD and 89-kD proteins (NAD 47/89). These neutrophils are immotile, defective in actin polymerization in response to agonists, and display distinctive, fine, “hairlike” F-actin-rich projections on their cell surfaces. We now show that overexpression of LSP1 produces F-actin bundles that are likely responsible for the morphologic and motile abnormalities characteristic of the NAD 47/89 phenotype. Coincident with LSP1 overexpression, cells from each of several different eukaryotic lines, including a highly motile human melanoma line, develop hairlike surface projections that branch distinctively and contain F-actin and LSP1. The hairlike projections are supported at their core by thick actin bundles, composed of actin filaments of mixed polarity, which periodically anastomose to generate a branching structure. The motility of the melanoma cells is inhibited even at low levels of LSP1 expression. Therefore, these studies show that overexpression of LSP1 alone can recreate the morphologic and motile defects seen in NAD 47/89 and suggest that LSP1 is distinct from other known actin binding proteins in its effect on F-actin network structure.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 1003-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Yoshida ◽  
Takehiro Ogata ◽  
Kenji Tanabe ◽  
Songhua Li ◽  
Megumi Nakazato ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The heterodimeric transcription factor PEBP2/CBF is composed of a DNA-binding subunit, called Runx1, and a non-DNA-binding subunit, called PEBP2β/CBFβ. The Runx1 protein is detected exclusively in the nuclei of most cells and tissues, whereas PEBP2β is located in the cytoplasm. We addressed the mechanism by which PEBP2β localizes to the cytoplasm and found that it is associated with filamin A, an actin-binding protein. Filamin A retains PEBP2β in the cytoplasm, thereby hindering its engagement as a Runx1 partner. The interaction with filamin A is mediated by a region within PEBP2β that includes amino acid residues 68 to 93. The deletion of this region or the repression of filamin A enables PEBP2β to translocate to the nucleus. Based on these observations, we propose that PEBP2β has two distinct domains, a newly defined regulatory domain that interacts with filamin A and the previously identified Runx1-binding domain.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaling Feng ◽  
Jianxia Wang ◽  
Yue He ◽  
Heng Zhang ◽  
Minhui Jiang ◽  
...  

Abstract The present study aimed to unravel the molecular basis underlying PAX3 down-regulation, known to be involved in pre-eclampsia (PE) occurrence and development. Data obtained from databases suggested that Pax3 methylation levels in the promoter region are high in the placentas of PE patients. However, the expression of methylation-adjusting enzymes, including DNMT1, LSD1, and EZH2, did not change. Since lncRNAs enhance the function of methylation-related enzymes independently of expression, we selected three lncRNAs, RP11-269F21.2, DIAPH2-AS1, and RP11-445K13.2, predicted to interact with methylation-adjusting enzymes. Two transcription factors, HOXD8 and Lhx3, predicted to regulate the expression of lncRNAs, were also selected. Using RNA interference technology, HOXD8 and Lhx3 were found to positively regulate DIAPH2-AS1 and RP11-445K13.2 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays determined that DIAPH2-AS1 recruited LSD1 to histone 3, increasing DNMT1 stability at H3. The HOXD8/DIAPH2-AS1 network regulated HTR-8/SVneo cell function under hypoxia by epigenetically regulating PAX3. This regulatory network may thus be responsible for PAX3 down-regulation in the placentas of PE patients.


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