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Detection of Alternative Splicing During Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: October 9, 2014
Cytoplasmic dynein intermediate-chain isoforms with different targeting properties created by tissue-specific
D I Nurminsky1, M V Nurminskaya, E V Benevolenskaya
1Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. dnurmnsky@oeb.harvard.edu
Molecular and Cellular Biology
|October 17, 1998
Summary
Drosophila intermediate chains (ICs), crucial for cytoplasmic dynein
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cytoplasmic dynein utilizes intermediate chains (ICs) for cargo organelle binding via dynactin interaction.
- Alternative splicing of the Cdic gene generates diverse IC isoforms in Drosophila.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural diversity and functional implications of Drosophila IC isoforms.
- To explore the tissue-specific expression and intracellular targeting of IC variants.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of alternative splicing patterns of the Cdic gene.
- Transient expression of IC isoforms in Drosophila Schneider-3 cells.
- Assessment of intracellular targeting properties of expressed IC isoforms.
Main Results:
- At least 10 structural IC isoforms arise from alternative splicing of the Cdic gene.
- A core set of four IC isoforms is ubiquitously expressed, with tissue-specific isoforms in ovaries and nervous tissue.
- Structural variations are confined to the N-terminus, affecting dynactin interaction and leading to differential intracellular targeting.
Conclusions:
- Alternative splicing of the Cdic gene generates functionally distinct IC isoforms in Drosophila.
- Tissue-specific IC isoform expression regulates dynein-mediated organelle binding.
- Differential intracellular targeting of IC isoforms provides a mechanism for regulating dynein-cargo interactions.
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