title: Functional and Genetic Analysis of Plectin in Skin and Muscle.
abstract: Plectin is a large cytoskeletal linker protein with a multitude of functions affecting various cellular processes. It is expressed as several different isoforms from a highly complex gene. Both, this transcript diversity (mainly caused by short 5'-sequences contained in alternative first exons) and the size (>500 kDa) of the resulting proteins, present considerable challenges to plectin researchers. In this chapter, we will consider these problems and offer advice on how to tackle them best. As plectin has been studied most extensively in skin and muscle, we will focus on these types of tissues and describe some selected methods in detail. Foremost, however, we aim to give the readers some good pointers to available tools and into the existing literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Herne, Germany.
authors.forename: Günther A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Rezniczek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Lilli
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.affiliation: Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walko
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: gerhard.wiche@univie.ac.at.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wiche
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004926:Escherichia coli; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051190:Plectin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C495333:Plec protein, mouse; D051190:Plectin; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
keywords: Cytoarchitecture; Cytolinker proteins; Plakins; Plectin; Protein isoforms; Signaling scaffold