Biomaterial Database

Heterodimeric associations between neuronal intermediate filament proteins. 1997

E S Athlan, and W E Mushynski

Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, 3655 Drummond Street, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada.

Formation of protein dimers involving alpha-internexin, peripherin, and the neurofilament (NF) proteins NFH, NFM, and NFL was investigated by partial renaturation of various combinations of individually purified subunits in buffered 2 M urea. Oligomers that were formed were resolved by "blue" native electrophoresis (Schägger, H., Cramer, W. A., and von Jagow, G. (1994) Anal. Biochem. 217, 220-230) modified to include urea in the polyacrylamide gels. Combining this method with Western blot analysis, disulfide cross-linking, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the second dimension showed that NFL readily forms significant amounts of heterodimer with NFH, NFM, alpha-internexin, or peripherin in the presence of 2 M urea. alpha-Internexin and peripherin also formed heterodimers with NFH or NFM under these conditions. The modified version of blue native gel electrophoresis described here may be useful in monitoring the impact of post-translational modifications and mutations on the dimerization of intermediate filament proteins.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007381	Intermediate Filament Proteins	Filaments 7-11 nm in diameter found in the cytoplasm of all cells. Many specific proteins belong to this group, e.g., desmin, vimentin, prekeratin, decamin, skeletin, neurofilin, neurofilament protein, and glial fibrillary acid protein.	Fibroblast Intermediate Filament Proteins,Filament Proteins, Intermediate,Proteins, Intermediate Filament
D011485	Protein Binding	The process in which substances, either endogenous or exogenous, bind to proteins, peptides, enzymes, protein precursors, or allied compounds. Specific protein-binding measures are often used as assays in diagnostic assessments.	Plasma Protein Binding Capacity,Binding, Protein
D011487	Protein Conformation	The characteristic 3-dimensional shape of a protein, including the secondary, supersecondary (motifs), tertiary (domains) and quaternary structure of the peptide chain. PROTEIN STRUCTURE, QUATERNARY describes the conformation assumed by multimeric proteins (aggregates of more than one polypeptide chain).	Conformation, Protein,Conformations, Protein,Protein Conformations
D002352	Carrier Proteins	Proteins that bind or transport specific substances in the blood, within the cell, or across cell membranes.	Binding Proteins,Carrier Protein,Transport Protein,Transport Proteins,Binding Protein,Protein, Carrier,Proteins, Carrier
D002478	Cells, Cultured	Cells propagated in vitro in special media conducive to their growth. Cultured cells are used to study developmental, morphologic, metabolic, physiologic, and genetic processes, among others.	Cultured Cells,Cell, Cultured,Cultured Cell
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D015180	Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional	Electrophoresis in which a second perpendicular electrophoretic transport is performed on the separate components resulting from the first electrophoresis. This technique is usually performed on polyacrylamide gels.	Gel Electrophoresis, Two-Dimensional,Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, Two-Dimensional,2-D Gel Electrophoresis,2-D Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis,2D Gel Electrophoresis,2D PAGE,2D Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis,Electrophoresis, Gel, 2-D,Electrophoresis, Gel, 2D,Electrophoresis, Gel, Two Dimensional,Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, 2-D,Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, 2D,Two Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis,2 D Gel Electrophoresis,2 D Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis,Electrophoresis, 2-D Gel,Electrophoresis, 2D Gel,Electrophoresis, Two-Dimensional Gel,Gel Electrophoresis, 2-D,Gel Electrophoresis, 2D,Gel Electrophoresis, Two Dimensional,PAGE, 2D,Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, 2 D,Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, Two Dimensional,Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis
D016900	Neurofilament Proteins	Type III intermediate filament proteins that assemble into neurofilaments, the major cytoskeletal element in nerve axons and dendrites. They consist of three distinct polypeptides, the neurofilament triplet. Types I, II, and IV intermediate filament proteins form other cytoskeletal elements such as keratins and lamins. It appears that the metabolism of neurofilaments is disturbed in Alzheimer's disease, as indicated by the presence of neurofilament epitopes in the neurofibrillary tangles, as well as by the severe reduction of the expression of the gene for the light neurofilament subunit of the neurofilament triplet in brains of Alzheimer's patients. (Can J Neurol Sci 1990 Aug;17(3):302)	Neurofilament Protein,Heavy Neurofilament Protein,Neurofilament Triplet Proteins,Neurofilament Protein, Heavy,Protein, Heavy Neurofilament,Protein, Neurofilament,Proteins, Neurofilament,Proteins, Neurofilament Triplet,Triplet Proteins, Neurofilament
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus
D019281	Dimerization	The process by which two molecules of the same chemical composition form a condensation product or polymer.	Dimerizations