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Molecular characterization of the Caenorhabditis elegans ALP/Enigma gene alp‐1
Author(s) -
McKeown Caroline R.,
Han HsiaoFen,
Beckerle Mary C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.20633
Subject(s) - caenorhabditis elegans , lim domain , biology , pdz domain , microbiology and biotechnology , actin , gene , motor protein , myosin , cytoskeleton , protein family , genetics , cell , transcription factor , microtubule , zinc finger
Members of the ALP/Enigma family of PDZ‐LIM proteins play a role in cytoskeletal anchorage and mutations in at least one member of this family are associated with human cardiomyopathy. Here, we describe the analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans alp ‐ 1 gene. alp ‐ 1 is predicted to encode the entire nematode ALP/Enigma protein family, consisting of one ALP‐related protein with a single LIM domain and three Enigma‐like proteins containing four LIM domains. We demonstrate that the ALP‐1 proteins are expressed in muscle cells, where they localize to actin anchorage and muscle attachment sites. We show that the PDZ domain of the ALP‐1 proteins is sufficient to target the protein to the dense bodies, which are important actin anchorage sites in C. elegans body wall muscle. We demonstrate that the C. elegans ALP/Enigma proteins are also localized to cell–cell junctions and to both epithelial and muscle cell nuclei. These findings suggest new roles for the ALP/Enigma protein family that may lead to the understanding of their involvement in cardiomyopathy. Developmental Dynamics 235:530–538, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.