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Selective assembly of fibulin‐1 splice variants reveals distinct extracellular matrix networks and novel functions for perlecan/UNC‐52 splice variants
Author(s) -
Muriel Joaquin M.,
Xu Xuehong,
Kramer James M.,
Vogel Bruce E.
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.20888
Subject(s) - fibulin , biology , perlecan , splice , extracellular matrix , microbiology and biotechnology , alternative splicing , caenorhabditis elegans , laminin , integrin , basement membrane , genetics , gene , exon , receptor , proteoglycan
Fibulin‐1C and fibulin‐1D splice variants have been conserved throughout metazoan evolution and have distinct functions in Caenorhabditis elegans development. Both splice variants are required for the assembly of hemidesmosome‐mediated mechanosensory neuron and uterine attachments, although the molecular associations that underlie their distinct functions at these locations are not known. Here, we show that the assembly of fibulin‐1C and fibulin‐1D splice variants at these anchorages is dependent upon distinct components of the extracellular matrix (ECM): Fibulin‐1D assembly at uterine and mechanosensory neurons attachments is dependent upon a perlecan/ UNC‐52 splice variant that includes alternately spliced IG8‐IG10, whereas the assembly of fibulin‐1C at mechanosensory neuron attachments is dependent upon laminin/ EPI‐1. These data not only indicate that fibulin‐1C and fibulin‐1D are components of distinct networks of ECM but also demonstrates a novel function for a major class of perlecan splice variants found in C. elegans and mouse. In addition, we demonstrate that overexpression of another ECM protein, collagen XVIII, can suppress gonad morphogenesis defects associated with loss of fibulin‐1C, suggesting that some genetic defects that result in a weakened basement membrane can be compensated by overexpression of genes for ECM components that stabilize basement membranes. Developmental Dynamics 235:2632–2640, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.