Isolation of a hemidesmosome-rich fraction from a human squamous cell carcinoma cell line.

Hemidesmosomes are cell-to-matrix adhesion complexes anchoring keratinocytes to basement membranes. For the first time, we present a method to prepare a fraction from human cultured cells that are highly enriched in hemidesmosomal proteins. Using DJM-1 cells derived from human squamous cell carcinoma, accumulation of hemidesmosomes was observed when these cells were cultured for more than 10 days in a commercial serum-free medium without supplemental calcium. Electron microscopy demonstrated that numerous electron-dense adhesion structures were present along the basal cell membranes of DJM-1 cells cultured under the aforementioned conditions. After removing cellular materials using an ammonia solution, hemidesmosomal proteins and deposited extracellular matrix were collected and separated by electrophoresis. There were eight major polypeptides, which were determined to be plectin, BP230, BP180, integrin α6 and ß4 subunits, and laminin-332 by immunoblotting and mass spectrometry. Therefore, we designated this preparation as a hemidesmosome-rich fraction. This fraction contained laminin-332 exclusively in its unprocessed form, which may account for the promotion of laminin deposition, and minimal amounts of Lutheran blood group protein, a nonhemidesmosomal transmembrane protein. This hemidesmosome-rich fraction would be useful not only for biological research on hemidesmosomes but also for developing a serum test for patients with blistering skin diseases.

Plectin expression patterns determine two distinct subtypes of epidermolysis bullosa simplex.

Plectin is a cytoskeletal linker protein that has a dumbbell-like structure with a long central rod and N- and C-terminal globular domains. Mutations in the gene encoding plectin (PLEC1) cause two distinct autosomal recessive subtypes of epidermolysis bullosa (EB): EB simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD), and EB simplex with pyloric atresia (EBS-PA). Here, we demonstrate that normal human fibroblasts express two different plectin isoforms including full-length and rodless forms of plectin. We performed detailed analysis of plectin expression patterns in six EBS-MD and three EBS-PA patients. In EBS-PA, expression of all plectin domains was found to be markedly attenuated or completely lost; in EBS-MD, the expression of the N- and C-terminal domains of plectin remained detectable, although the expression of rod domains was absent or markedly reduced. Our data suggest that loss of the full-length plectin isoform with residual expression of the rodless plectin isoform leads to EBS-MD, and that complete loss or marked attenuation of full-length and rodless plectin expression underlies the more severe EBS-PA phenotype. These results also clearly account for the majority of EBS-MD PLEC1 mutation restriction within the large exon 31 that encodes the plectin rod domain, whereas EBS-PA PLEC1 mutations are generally outside exon 31.

Regeneration of retinotectal projections after optic tectum removal in adult newts.

PURPOSE: When injured, the adult newt possesses the remarkable capability to regenerate tissues and organs with return of function and physiology. One example is the newt eye, in which regeneration can restore normal vision if the retina or lens has been removed. We wanted to examine how the retinotectal projections regenerate after removal of the brain's optic tectum and establish this animal as a model for retinal projection as well as a central nervous system regeneration model. METHODS: A major portion of the left optic tectum was removed in several adult newts, and the animals were monitored postoperatively for eight months to observe regeneration and innervation. Cell proliferation was examined by histological methods and by BrdU incorporation. RESULTS: We observed that adult newts have the capability to the excised optic tectum. As indicated by horseradish peroxidase staining, 80% of the retinotectal projection area was regenerated eight months after the operation, even though the wound closed much earlier. Our study provides the first quantitation of regeneration of the retinotectal projections. The ependymal cells that line the ventricle were the most likely source of the regenerated tectum. After removal, cell proliferation was detected only in the ependymal cells layer. Double staining of proliferating cells and neurons was limited, indicating that direct transition of ependymal cells is a possibility. CONCLUSIONS: The retinotectal projections after removal of the adult newt optic tectum can be readily re-established. Thus, this model can become indispensable for the study of vision restoration and neurogenesis.

Both type-I hemidesmosomes and adherens-type junctions contribute to the cell-substratum adhesion system in myoepithelial cells.

Myoepithelial cells present in exocrine glands cause secretion from the glands by contraction. They have mixed characteristics with regard to cytoskeletal elements, containing both epithelial-type intermediate filaments and smooth muscle-type myofilaments. For further characterization, myoepithelial cells from bovine apocrine sweat glands and tracheal glands were here examined with special attention to the cell-substratum adhesion system. Immunofluorescence microscopy using a panel of antibodies against adherens-type junctional and hemidesmosomal proteins demonstrated two types of cell-substratum junctions in myoepithelial cells from both glands. Type-I hemidesmosomes (HDs) consisting of plectin, BP230, integrin alpha6beta4, and BP180 were thus observed as punctate arrays longitudinally arranged along myoepithelial cell surfaces, while adherens-type junctions were similarly evident as linear rib-like structures. Double-label immunofluoresence revealed the two junctions to be distributed in a mutually exclusive or independent manner. Electron microscopy further demonstrated that apocrine myoepithelial cells surround secretory epithelial cells completely, without any gaps, HDs being abundant along the basement membrane, but with no distinct structures in the inter-hemidesmosomal regions. Immunoelectron microscopy, however, revealed an interhemidesmosomal localization of vinculin, pointing to the existence of adherens-type junctions. Secretory epithelial cells in tracheal glands were found not to be completely covered with myoepithelial cells, so that more than half of them are directly attached to the basement membrane, where they form type II-HDs lacking BP230 and BP180, but no detectable adherens junctions, like epidermal basal cells and sebaceous gland cells. These observations demonstrate that, in addition to their cytoskeleton, myoepithelial cells have both epithelial- and smooth muscle-type cell-substratum adhesion structures, i.e. HDs and dense plaque-like adherens junctions.

Plectin deficient epidermolysis bullosa simplex with 27-year-history of muscular dystrophy.

BACKGROUND: Epidermolysis bullosa simplex associated with muscular dystrophy is caused by plectin deficiency. OBJECTIVE: To report clinical, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and molecular features of a 52-year-old Japanese patient affected with this disease, whose muscular disease had been followed-up for 27 years. METHODS: We performed histopathological study, immunofluorescence, electron microscopic study and mutation detection analysis for plectin. RESULTS: The patient developed blisters and erosions followed by nail deformity on the traumatized regions from birth. The skin lesions were continuously developed to date. The histopathological study showed subepidermal blister. Electron microscopic study showed blister formation inside the basal cells at the level just above the attachment plaque of hemidesmosome. Immunofluorescence showed complete loss of staining to plectin. The mutation analysis using protein truncation test and DNA sequencing revealed a C-to-T transition at nucleotide position 7006 of the plectin cDNA sequence, which lead a novel homozygous nonsense mutation (R2319X). CONCLUSION: From the above results, the diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa simplex associated with muscular dystrophy was made. Slight muscular dystrophy was noticed at the age of 25 years. The muscular dystrophy gradually progressed and she could not walk at the age of 46 years. However, she can still breathe and swallow by herself. This is the patient of this disease with the longest follow-up, and may indicate the slow progress of muscular condition of this disease.

Characterization of the anti-BP180 autoantibody reactivity profile and epitope mapping in bullous pemphigoid patients.

Bullous pemphigoid is a subepidermal bullous disease of skin and mucosae associated with autoantibodies to BP180. To characterize the humoral response to BP180, we generated a random BP180 epitope library displayed on lambda bacteriophage. After validation of the library by epitope mapping of three BP180-specific monoclonal antibodies, 15 novel or known BP180 epitopes were identified using 10 bullous pemphigoid serum samples. Fifty-seven bullous pemphigoid and 81 control sera were then assayed against the selected epitopes. Thirty-one out of 57 (54%) bullous pemphigoid sera reacted with at least an additional antigenic site other than the NC16A, within the extracellular (37%) and intracellular (28%) domains of BP180. In addition, the reactivity with extracellular epitopes of BP180 contained within the residue stretches 508-541 and 1331-1404 appeared to be related to the presence of both skin and mucosal involvement. Finally, a preliminary analysis of the epitope pattern in the disease course indicated that bullous pemphigoid patients exhibit a specific reactivity pattern, and that binding to intracellular epitopes of BP180, in addition to NC16A, may be detectable at an early clinical stage. Our findings provide novel insights into the pathophysiology of bullous pemphigoid and show the potential of the utilized approach as a tool for a rapid diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid patients and their management.

Extracellular cleavage of bullous pemphigoid antigen 180/type XVII collagen and its involvement in hemidesmosomal disassembly.

Bullous pemphigoid antigen 180 (BP180)/type XVII collagen is a transmembrane hemidesmosomal protein. Previously, we demonstrated that the collagenous ectodomain of BP180 can be cleaved within the extracellular non-collagenous (NC) 16A domain adjacent to the cell membrane and released from the cell surface. Here, we report that the BP180 cleavage is mediated by a membrane-associated metalloprotease expressed in epithelial cells. A tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease 1 (TIMP-1), but not TIMP-2, like the synthetic metalloprotease inhibitor KB-R8301, significantly reduced the cleavage. Within epithelial cells cultured for more than 36 h past confluency, antibodies to BP180 showed a reduced hemidesmosomal staining. Observed for the first time, addition of KB-R8301 to the cell culture preserved this staining. To examine the effect of the extracellular cleavage of BP180 on molecular interactions among hemidesmosomal components, we eliminated its collagenous extracellular portion, except for the NC16A domain, by collagenase digestion. Interestingly, this collagenase treatment caused partial disassembly of hemidesmosomal components in cultured human keratinocytes. Moreover, a monoclonal antibody specific for the cleaved extracellular fragment detected a unique tissue distribution of the fragment that might reflect an association of the cleavage process with the mitotic activity of epithelial tissues. Our observations demonstrate that the cleavage of BP180 occurring within the NC16A domain is mediated by a membrane-associated metalloprotease and suggest a possible involvement of the cleavage in hemidesmosomal disassembly.

A homozygous nonsense mutation within the dystonin gene coding for the coiled-coil domain of the epithelial isoform of BPAG1 underlies a new subtype of autosomal recessive epidermolysis bullosa simplex.

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of autosomal dominant and recessive blistering skin diseases in which pathogenic mutations have been reported in 13 different genes encoding structural proteins involved in keratinocyte integrity, as well as cell-matrix or cell-cell adhesion. We now report an inherited skin fragility disorder with a homozygous nonsense mutation in the dystonin gene (DST) that encodes the coiled-coil domain of the epithelial isoform of bullous pemphigoid antigen 1, BPAG1-e (also known as BP230). The mutation, p.Gln1124X, leads to the loss of hemidesmosomal inner plaques and a complete absence of skin immunostaining for BPAG1-e, as well as reduced labeling for plectin, the beta4 integrin subunit, and for type XVII collagen. The 38-year-old affected individual has lifelong generalized trauma-induced spontaneous blisters and erosions, particularly around the ankles. In addition, he experiences episodic numbness in his limbs, which started at the age of 37 years. These neurological symptoms may also be due to DST gene mutation, although he has a concomitant diagnosis of CADASIL (cerebral arteriopathy, autosomal dominant, with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy), a cerebral small-vessel arteriopathy, which thus complicates the genotype-phenotype interpretation. With regard to skin blistering, the clinicopathological findings expand the molecular basis of EB by identifying BPAG1-e pathology in a new form of autosomal recessive EB simplex.

IgG from patients with bullous pemphigoid depletes cultured keratinocytes of the 180-kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen (type XVII collagen) and weakens cell attachment.

We have shown that binding of bullous pemphigoid (BP)-patient IgG (BP-IgG) causes the internalization of BP180 from the cell membrane. This study examined whether BP-IgG treatment can deplete cultured keratinocytes of BP180, how it affects cellular levels of alpha6 and beta4 integrins (by western blot analysis using monoclonal antibodies to these antigens), and whether it reduces adhesion of cells to the culture dish (by a vibration detachment assay). All BP-IgG or BP sera with high values of BP180-ELISA from 18 BP patients before and after oral corticosteroid treatment showed dramatically decreased BP180 in cells after 6 hours of BP-IgG stimulation, whereas alpha6 and beta4 integrin levels were not decreased. Even IgG from patients in whom oral corticosteroid had suppressed active blistering could deplete cells of BP180, as long as sera retained a high value of BP180-ELISA. On the other hand, reduction of cell BP180 content increased detachment of cells from the dish. These results suggest that BP-IgG reduces hemidesmosomal BP180 content, weakening the adhesion of hemidesmosomes to the lamina densa. In the presence of BP180 deficiency, inflammation generated by BP180 immune-complex formation might then tear the weakened lamina lucida, and this could lead to generation of the BP-specific split at the lamina lucida.

Novel alternative splicings of BPAG1 (bullous pemphigoid antigen 1) including the domain structure closely related to MACF (microtubule actin cross-linking factor).

BPAG1 (bullous pemphigoid antigen 1) was originally identified as a 230-kDa hemidesmosomal protein and belongs to the plakin family, because it consists of a plakin domain, a coiled-coil rod domain and a COOH-terminal intermediate filament binding domain. To date, alternatively spliced products of BPAG1, BPAG1e, and BPAG1n are known. BPAG1e is expressed in epithelial tissues and localized to hemidesmosomes, on the other hand, BPAG1n is expressed in neural tissues and muscles and has an actin binding domain at the NH(2)-terminal of BPAG1e. BPAG1 is also known as a gene responsible for Dystonia musculorum (dt) neurodegeneration syndrome of the mouse. Another plakin family protein MACF (microtubule actin cross-linking factor) has also an actin binding domain and the plakin domain at the NH(2)-terminal. However, in contrast to its high homology with BPAG1 at the NH(2)-terminal, the COOH-terminal structure of MACF, including a microtubule binding domain, resembles dystrophin rather than plakins. Here, we investigated RNAs and proteins expressed from the BPAG1 locus and suggest novel alternative splicing variants, which include one consisting of the COOH-terminal domain structure homologous to MACF. The results indicate that BPAG1 has three kinds of cytoskeletal binding domains and seems to play an important role in linking the different types of cytoskeletons.

Immunofluorescence analysis of the basement membrane zone components in human anagen hair follicles.

The ultrastructure and constituent components of the basement membrane zone (BMZ) of the interfollicular epidermis have been well characterized. However, little is known about the junctions between dermal papilla and the surrounding epithelial cells of the hair bulb, as well as those junctions between connective tissues and epithelial cells outside the hair follicle. In the present study, immunofluorescence was used to determine the expression of various BMZ components, particularly plectin, BP230, BP180, alpha6beta4 integrin, laminin 5 and type VII collagen, in anagen hair follicles from human scalp. All the BMZ components examined showed essentially the same immunofluorescence staining pattern. Specifically, staining of the upper portion of the hair follicle demonstrated expression of all BMZ components with a labeling intensity similar to that found in the interfollicular epidermis. Staining in the lower portion of the hair follicle, however, was markedly different: all the BMZ components showed a gradual decrease in staining intensity. Particularly, outside the hair bulb, the linear staining was diminished and even discontinuous in some areas. Finally, between dermal papilla and epithelial cells inside the hair bulb, there was a strong immunoreactivity for all the BMZ components except for BP230, which was completely negative. The present study also confirmed a previous reported ultrastructural finding that hemidesmosomes are not apparent in the hair bulb's exterior BMZ nor in the dermal papilla junctions. Instead, peculiar cloudy materials were seen in both the lamina densa and the adjacent epithelium outside the hair bulb. Taken together, the diminished expression of all the BMZ components outside the hair bulb, as well as the complete absence of BP230 at the dermal papilla junction, seem to be responsible for the incomplete ultrastructure of hemidesmosomes in these regions. Furthermore, the results in the present study led us to speculate that the expression of BMZ components inside and outside the hair bulb are markedly decreased in the transient regions of the hair follicle as compared with their expression in the permanent region, signified by the upper portion of the hair follicle. When the hair follicle moves upward in catagen or downward in anagen, the complete structure of the hemidesmosome may stabilize the upper portion to the surrounding connective tissues, while the incomplete hemidesmosome may facilitate the movement of the transient region.

Regulated lens regeneration from isolated pigmented epithelial cells of newt iris in culture in response to FGF2/4.

When a lens is removed from the newt eye, a new lens is regenerated from the pigmented epithelial cells of the dorsal iris, whereas the ventral iris never shows such an ability. It is important to clarify the nature of signaling molecules which act directly on the iris cells to accomplish lens regeneration from the iris and also to gain insight into the mechanism of dorso-ventral difference of the regeneration potential. To examine the effects of exogenous factors, we established an in vitro culture of reaggregates made from dissociated pigmented epithelial cells of dorsal or ventral halves of newt iris. Foci of depigmented cells appeared within the cell reaggregates, regardless of their origins, when the cell reaggregates were cultured with FGF2 or FGF4. In contrast, only the depigmented cells in the dorsal iris cell reaggregates underwent extensive proliferation and developed a lens with the synthesis of lens-specific crystallins, recapitulating the normal lens regeneration. On the other hand, neither FGF8, FGF10, EGF, VEGF, nor IGF promoted lens development from iris cell reaggregates. Consistent with the FGF-specific action, FGFR-specific inhibitor SU5402 suppressed the lens development from the cultured cell reaggregates. These results demonstrated that FGF2 or FGF4 is essential for the in vitro lens regeneration from the pigmented cells of the dorsal iris. In addition, these findings indicated that unequal competence in the dorsal and ventral iris to FGF2/4 contributes to the difference in lens forming ability between them.

Characterization of mammalian synemin, an intermediate filament protein present in all four classes of muscle cells and some neuroglial cells: co-localization and interaction with type III intermediate filament proteins and keratins.

Using a monoclonal antibody, we have detected a high molecular weight muscle protein, co-localized and co-isolating with desmin. Searching a human cDNA database with partial amino acid sequences of the protein, we found a cDNA clone encoding a 1565-amino-acid polypeptide, identified as a mammalian (human) synemin, a member of the intermediate filament (IF) protein family. Immunoblotting showed the presence of a 180-kDa polypeptide in skeletal muscle and 180- and 200-kDa polypeptides in cardiac and smooth muscles. Interestingly, synemin was also found in myoepithelial cells, which have keratin filaments instead of desmin. Moreover, synemin was also found in astrocytes of optic nerves and non-myelin-forming Schwann cells, together with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin. Blot overlays pointed to molecular interactions of synemin with desmin, vimentin, GFAP and keratin 5 and 6, but not with keratin 14. The experimental data also suggested a possible link with nebulin, a skeletal muscle protein. Purified synemin was coassembled with desmin in different molar ratios, and at 1:25, as typically found in vivo, IFs were formed which were comparable in length to desmin filaments. However, at molar ratios of 3:25 and 6:25, much shorter and irregular shaped filamentous polymers were generated. The fact that synemin is present in all four classes of muscle cells and a specific type of glial cells is indicative of important functions. Its incorporation may give structural and functional versatility to the IF cytoskeleton.