UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Desmoglein 3 acting as an upstream regulator of Rho GTPases, Rac-1/Cdc42 in the regulation of actin organisation and dynamics

Man Tsang, Siu; Brown, Louise; Gadmor, Hanan; Gammon, Luke; Fortune, Farida; Wheeler, Ann; Wan, Hong; (2012) Desmoglein 3 acting as an upstream regulator of Rho GTPases, Rac-1/Cdc42 in the regulation of actin organisation and dynamics. Experimental Cell Research , 318 (18) pp. 2269-2283. 10.1016/j.yexcr.2012.07.002. Green open access

[thumbnail of 1398516.pdf]
Preview
PDF
1398516.pdf

Download (2MB)

Abstract

Desmoglein 3 (Dsg3), a member of the desmoglein sub-family, serves as an adhesion molecule in desmosomes. Our previous study showed that overexpression of human Dsg3 in several epithelial lines induces formation of membrane protrusions, a phenotype suggestive of Rho GTPase activation. Here we examined the interaction between Dsg3 and actin in detail and showed that endogenous Dsg3 colocalises and interacts with actin, particularly the junctional actin in a Rac1-dependent manner. Ablation of Rac1 activity by dominant negative Rac1 mutant (N17Rac1) or the Rac1 specific inhibitor (NSC23766) directly disrupts the interaction between Dsg3 and actin. Assembly of the junctional actin at the cell borders is accompanied with enhanced levels of Dsg3, while inhibition of Dsg3 by RNAi results in profound changes in the organisation of actin cytoskeleton. In accordance, overexpression of Dsg3 results in a remarkable increase of Rac1 and Cdc42 activities and to a lesser extent, RhoA. The enhancements in Rho GTPases are accompanied by the pronounced actin-based membrane structures such as lamellipodia and filopodia, enhanced rate of actin turnover and cell polarisation. Together, our results reveal an important novel function for Dsg3 in promoting actin dynamics through regulating Rac1 and Cdc42 activation in epithelial cells.

Type: Article
Title: Desmoglein 3 acting as an upstream regulator of Rho GTPases, Rac-1/Cdc42 in the regulation of actin organisation and dynamics
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2012.07.002
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.yexcr.2012.07.002
Language: English
Additional information: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Eastman Dental Institute
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1398516
Downloads since deposit
211Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item