title: Melusin is a new muscle-specific interactor for beta(1) integrin cytoplasmic domain.
abstract: Here we describe the isolation and partial characterization of a new muscle-specific protein (Melusin) which interacts with the integrin cytoplasmic domain. The cDNA encoding Melusin was isolated in a two-hybrid screening of a rat neonatal heart library using beta(1)A and beta(1)D integrin cytoplasmic regions as baits. Melusin is a cysteine-rich cytoplasmic protein of 38 kDa, with a stretch of acidic amino acid residues at the extreme carboxyl-terminal end. In addition, putative binding sites for SH3 and SH2 domains are present in the amino-terminal half of the molecule. Chromosomic analysis showed that melusin gene maps at Xq12.1/13 in man and in the synthenic region X band D in mouse. Melusin is expressed in skeletal and cardiac muscles but not in smooth muscles or other tissues. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that Melusin is present in a costamere-like pattern consisting of two rows flanking alpha-actinin at Z line. Its expression is up-regulated during in vitro differentiation of the C2C12 murine myogenic cell line, and it is regulated during in vivo skeletal muscle development. A fragment corresponding to the tail region of Melusin interacted strongly and specifically with beta(1) integrin cytoplasmic domain in a two-hybrid test, but the full-length protein did not. Because the tail region of Melusin contains an acidic amino acid stretch resembling high capacity and low affinity calcium binding domains, we tested the possibility that Ca(2+) regulates Melusin-integrin association. In vitro binding experiments demonstrated that interaction of full-length Melusin with detergent-solubilized integrin heterodimers occurred only in absence of cations, suggesting that it can be regulated by intracellular signals affecting Ca(2+) concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Torino, Torino 10126, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brancaccio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guazzone
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Menini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sibona
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Andrea
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rocchi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altruda
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tarone
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silengo
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D019012:Integrin beta1 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012038:Regeneration; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014960:X Chromosome; D018909:src Homology Domains
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; C492400:ITGB1BP2 protein, human; D019012:Integrin beta1; C122158:Itgb1bp2 protein, mouse; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D002118:Calcium