Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
5534811 Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology 2017 11 Pages PDF
Abstract

Spectraplakins are evolutionary conserved cytolinkers with characteristics of both the spectrin and the plakin family proteins. Caenorhabditis elegans possesses two categories of spectraplakin isoforms encoded by a single locus termed vab-10. Here we summarize the structure, homology, expression and functions of these spectraplakin family proteins in the nematode. We particularly focus on the diverse roles of VAB-10 isoforms in a number of organs and tissue types, as well as the similarities and distinctions of the underlying mechanisms. We also discuss the functional partners of VAB-10 in different contexts, plus the involvement of VAB-10 isoforms in physiological processes beyond cytoskeletal integration. We emphasize the importance of spectraplakin-related studies using Caenorhabditis elegans as the model, and their contributions to our understanding of spectraplakins across species.

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Life Sciences Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Cell Biology
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