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Updated: May 24, 2026

Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
Published on: May 5, 2022
Interaction of plectin and intermediate filaments
Tadashi Karashima1, Daisuke Tsuruta, Takahiro Hamada
1Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, and Institute of Cutaneous Cell Biology, Kurume University, 67 Asahimachi, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan.
Background:
Plectin, a member of the plakin family proteins, is a high molecular weight protein that is ubiquitously expressed. It acts as a cytolinker for the three major components of the cyotoskeleton, namely actin microfilaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments.
Objective:
The aim of our experiments was to identify new binding sites for intermediate filaments on plectin and to specify these sites.
Methods:
We introduced truncated forms of plectin into several cell lines and observe interaction between plectin and intermediate filaments.
Results:
We found that a linker region in the COOH-terminal end of plectin was required for the association of the protein with intermediate filaments. In addition, we also demonstrated that a serine residue at position 4645 of plectin may have a role on binding of plectin to intermediate filaments.
Conclusion:
A linker region in the COOH-terminal end and serine residue at position 4645 may be important for the binding of plectin to intermediate filaments.
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