Identification of a Drosophila homologue of alpha-catenin and its association with the armadillo protein.
The cadherin cell adhesion system plays a central role in cell-cell adhesion in vertebrates, but its homologues are not identified in the invertebrate. alpha-Catenins are a group of proteins associated with cadherins, and this association is crucial for the cadherins' function. Here, we report the cloning of a Drosophila alpha-catenin gene by low stringent hybridization with a mouse alpha E-catenin probe. Isolated cDNAs encoded a 110-kD protein with 60% identity to mouse alpha E-catenin, and this protein was termed D alpha-catenin. The gene of this protein was located at the chromosome band 80B. Immunostaining analysis using a mAb to D alpha-catenin revealed that it was localized to cell-cell contact sites, expressed throughout development and present in a wide variety of tissues. When this protein was immunoprecipitated from detergent extracts of Drosophila embryos or cell lines, several proteins co-precipitated. These included the armadillo product which was known to be a Drosophila homologue of beta-catenin, another cadherin-associated protein in vertebrates, and a 150-kD glycoprotein. These results strongly suggest that Drosophila has a cell adhesion machinery homologous to the vertebrate cadherin-catenin system.
Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Japan.
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Oda
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Uemura
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Shiomi
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Nagafuchi
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Tsukita
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Takeichi
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051186:Armadillo Domain Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D017344:Genes, Insect; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016596:Vinculin / Q000737:chemistry; D051178:alpha Catenin
C495305:ARM protein, Drosophila; D051186:Armadillo Domain Proteins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051178:alpha Catenin; C081439:alpha-Cat protein, Drosophila; D016596:Vinculin; D004247:DNA