title: The glutamate-rich region of the larger lamprey neurofilament sidearm is essential for proper neurofilament architecture.
abstract: The carboxyl terminal "tail" domains of the heavy and middle molecular weight mammalian neurofilament (NF) proteins regulate inter-NF spacing and formation of organized networks. The C-terminal region of the larger of the two lamprey NF subunits (NF-180) resembles these mammalian proteins in that it consists of a proximal glutamate-rich region and a distal region containing multiple phosphorylation sites. To investigate the role of these two sidearm domains in the organization of lamprey NFs, we generated plasmids lacking the glutamate-rich domain, the domain containing multiple phosphorylation sites, or both, and examined the impact of the resultant mutant proteins on the endogenous NF network in differentiated NB21/d1 neuroblastoma cells. We present evidence that, like mammalian NFs, the glutamate-rich region of NF-180 sidearm plays a critical role in NF architecture.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cellular Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration Research, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
authors.forename: Sangmook
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Boyang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: Garth F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D048428:Petromyzon; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; C051774:neurofilament protein H; C061195:neurofilament protein M; D018698:Glutamic Acid