Identification of a novel putative interaction partner of the nucleoporin ALADIN

It has been shown that the nucleoporin ALADIN plays a significant role in the redox homeostasis of the cell, but its function in steroidogenesis contributing to adrenal atrophy in triple A syndrome remains largely unknown. In an attempt to identify new interaction partners of ALADIN, co-immunoprecipitation followed by proteome analysis was conducted in different expression models using the human adrenocortical tumour cell line NCI-H295R. Our results suggest an interaction of ALADIN with the microsomal protein PGRMC2. PGRMC2 is shown to be activity regulator of CYP P450 enzymes and, therefore, to be a possible target for adrenal dysregulation in triple A syndrome. We show that there is a sexual dimorphism regarding the expression of Pgrmc2 in adrenals and gonads of wild-type (WT) and Aaas knock-out (KO) mice. Female Aaas KO mice are sterile due to delayed oocyte maturation and meiotic spindle assembly. A participation in meiotic spindle assembly confirms the recently investigated involvement of ALADIN in mitosis and emphasises an interaction with PGRMC2 which is a regulator of the cell cycle. By identification of a novel interaction partner of ALADIN, we provide novel aspects for future research of the function of ALADIN during cell cycle and for new insights into the pathogenesis of triple A syndrome.