Novel Nuclear Protein Complexes of Dystrophin 71 Isoforms in Rat Cultured Hippocampal GABAergic and Glutamatergic Neurons.

The precise functional role of the dystrophin 71 in neurons is still elusive. Previously, we reported that dystrophin 71d and dystrophin 71f are present in nuclei from cultured neurons. In the present work, we performed a detailed analysis of the intranuclear distribution of dystrophin 71 isoforms (Dp71d and Dp71f), during the temporal course of 7-day postnatal rats hippocampal neurons culture for 1h, 2, 4, 10, 15 and 21 days in vitro (DIV). By immunofluorescence assays, we detected the highest level of nuclear expression of both dystrophin Dp71 isoforms at 10 DIV, during the temporal course of primary culture. Dp71d and Dp71f were detected mainly in bipolar GABAergic (≥60%) and multipolar Glutamatergic (≤40%) neurons, respectively. We also characterized the existence of two nuclear dystrophin-associated protein complexes (DAPC): dystrophin 71d or dystrophin 71f bound to ß-dystroglycan, α1-, ß-, α2-dystrobrevins, α-syntrophin, and syntrophin-associated protein nNOS (Dp71d-DAPC or Dp71f-DAPC, respectively), in the hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, both complexes were localized in interchromatin granule cluster structures (nuclear speckles) of neuronal nucleoskeleton preparations. The present study evinces that each Dp71's complexes differ slightly in dystrobrevins composition. The results demonstrated that Dp71d-DAPC was mainly localized in bipolar GABAergic and Dp71f-DAPC in multipolar Glutamatergic hippocampal neurons. Taken together, our results show that dystrophin 71d, dystrophin 71f and DAP integrate protein complexes, and both complexes were associated to nuclear speckles structures.

In silico analyses of dystrophin Dp40 cellular distribution, nuclear export signals and structure modeling.

Dystrophin Dp40 is the shortest protein encoded by the DMD (Duchenne muscular dystrophy) gene. This protein is unique since it lacks the C-terminal end of dystrophins. In this data article, we describe the subcellular localization, nuclear export signals and the three-dimensional structure modeling of putative Dp40 proteins using bioinformatics tools. The Dp40 wild type protein was predicted as a cytoplasmic protein while the Dp40n4 was predicted to be nuclear. Changes L93P and L170P are involved in the nuclear localization of Dp40n4 protein. A close analysis of Dp40 protein scored that amino acids (93)LEQEHNNLV(101) and (168)LLLHDSIQI(176) could function as NES sequences and the scores are lost in Dp40n4. In addition, the changes L93/170P modify the tertiary structure of putative Dp40 mutants. The analysis showed that changes of residues 93 and 170 from leucine to proline allow the nuclear localization of Dp40 proteins. The data described here are related to the research article entitled "EF-hand domains are involved in the differential cellular distribution of dystrophin Dp40" (J. Aragón et al. Neurosci. Lett. 600 (2015) 115-120) [1].

EF-hand domains are involved in the differential cellular distribution of dystrophin Dp40.

Dp40 is the shortest DMD gene product that has been reported to date. It is encoded by exons 63-70, a region required for a ß-dystroglycan interaction. Its expression has been identified in rat, mouse, and human; however, its function remains unknown. To explore the expression of Dp40 transcript and subcellular localization of epitope-tagged Dp40 proteins, RT-PCR and immunofluorescence assays were performed in PC12 cells. The expression of Dp40 mRNA was found in undifferentiated and nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells. According to immunofluorescence analyses, the recombinant protein Dp40 was mainly localized in the cell periphery/cytoplasm of undifferentiated and differentiated PC12 cells, a small amount of this protein is localized to the nucleus of differentiated cells. With the aim to identify the amino acids involved in the nuclear localization of Dp40, an in silico analysis was performed and it predicted that prolines 93 and 170, located within EF1 and EF2-hand domains, are involved in the nuclear localization of this protein. This prediction was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis, the Dp40-L93P mutant was localized to the nucleus and cell periphery, while Dp40-L170P and Dp40-L93/170P showed mainly a nuclear localization. Dp40 co-localizes with ß-dystroglycan and the co-localization score was statistically reduced in Dp40-L93P, Dp40-L170P and Dp40-L93/170P mutants.