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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Efficient Production and Purification of Recombinant Murine Kindlin-3 from Insect Cells for Biophysical Studies
Published on: March 19, 2014
The LIM-only protein DRAL/FHL2 binds to the cytoplasmic domain of several alpha and beta integrin chains and is
V Wixler1, D Geerts, E Laplantine
1Institute for Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 52, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
Abstract:
LIM proteins contain one or more double zinc finger structures (LIM domains) mediating specific contacts between proteins that participate in the formation of multiprotein complexes. We report that the LIM-only protein DRAL/FHL2, with four and a half LIM domains, can associate with alpha(3A), alpha(3B), alpha(7A), and several beta integrin subunits as shown in yeast two-hybrid assays as well as after overexpression in human cells. The amino acid sequence immediately following the conserved membrane-proximal region in the integrin alpha subunits or the C-terminal region with the conserved NXXY motif of the integrin beta subunits are critical for binding DRAL/FHL2. Furthermore, the DRAL/FHL2 associates with itself and with other molecules that bind to the cytoplasmic domain of integrin alpha subunits. Deletion analysis of DRAL/FHL2 revealed that particular LIM domains or LIM domain combinations bind the different proteins. These results, together with the fact that full-length DRAL/FHL2 is found in cell adhesion complexes, suggest that it is an adaptor/docking protein involved in integrin signaling pathways.
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