title: CRB2 completes a fully expressed Crumbs complex in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium.
abstract: The CRB proteins CRB1, CRB2 and CRB3 are members of the cell polarity complex Crumbs in mammals that together with Scribble and Par complexes stablish the polarity of a variety of cell types. Although many members of the Crumbs complex proteins are expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and even though the mRNA of CRB2 has been detected in ARPE-19 cells and in the RPE/Choroid, to date no CRB protein has yet been found in this tissue. To investigate this possibility, we generated an antibody that specifically recognize the mouse CRB2 protein, and we demonstrate the expression of CRB2 in mouse RPE. Confocal analysis shows that CRB2 is restricted to the apicolateral membrane of RPE cells, and more precisely, in the tight junctions. Our study identified CRB2 as the member of the CRB protein family that is present together with the rest of the components of the Crumbs complex in the RPE apico-lateral cell membrane. Considering that the functions of CRB proteins are decisive in the establishment and maintenance of cell-cell junctions in several epithelial-derived cell types, we believe that these findings are a relevant starting point for unraveling the functions that CRB2 might perform in the RPE.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Paniagua
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Saúl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herranz-Martín
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jimeno
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángela M
authors.initials: ÁM
authors.lastname: Jimeno
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Saray
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: López-Benito
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carlos Arévalo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Almudena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Velasco
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aijón
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León, IBSAL, Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lillo
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D021381:Protein Transport; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C568885:Crb2 protein, mouse; C530695:Crb3 protein, mouse; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins