WHAMM functions in kidney reabsorption and polymerizes actin to promote autophagosomal membrane closure and cargo sequestration.

ABSTRACT: The actin cytoskeleton is essential for many functions of eukaryotic cells, but the factors that nucleate actin assembly are not well understood at the organismal level or in the context of disease. To explore the function of the actin nucleation factor WHAMM in mice, we examined how Whamm inactivation impacts kidney physiology and cellular proteostasis. We show that male WHAMM knockout mice excrete elevated levels of albumin, glucose, phosphate, and amino acids, and display structural abnormalities of the kidney proximal tubule, suggesting that WHAMM activity is important for nutrient reabsorption. In kidney tissue, the loss of WHAMM results in the accumulation of the lipidated autophagosomal membrane protein LC3, indicating an alteration in autophagy. In mouse fibroblasts and huma

SUBMITTER: Coulter AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11238085 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature