title: Do lamin B1 and lamin B2 have redundant functions?
abstract: Lamins B1 and B2 have a high degree of sequence similarity and are widely expressed from the earliest stages of development. Studies of Lmnb1 and Lmnb2 knockout mice revealed that both of the B-type lamins are crucial for neuronal migration in the developing brain. These observations naturally posed the question of whether the two B-type lamins might play redundant functions in the development of the brain. To explore that issue, Lee and coworkers generated "reciprocal knock-in mice" (knock-in mice that produce lamin B1 from the Lmnb2 locus and knock-in mice that produce lamin B2 from the Lmnb1 locus). Both lines of knock-in mice manifested neurodevelopmental abnormalities similar to those in conventional knockout mice, indicating that lamins B1 and B2 have unique functions and that increased production of one B-type lamin cannot compensate for the loss of the other.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine; David Geffen School of Medicine; University of California; Los Angeles, CA USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hea-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Loren G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Stephen G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D034921:Lamin Type B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009685:Nuclear Envelope / Q000378:metabolism; D034881:Nuclear Lamina / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D034921:Lamin Type B
keywords: lamin B1; lamin B2; nuclear envelope; nuclear lamina