Nestin promotes the phosphorylation-dependent disassembly of vimentin intermediate filaments during mitosis.

ABSTRACT: The expression of the intermediate filament (IF) protein nestin is closely associated with rapidly proliferating progenitor cells during neurogenesis and myogenesis, but little is known about its function. In this study, we examine the effects of nestin expression on the assembly state of vimentin IFs in nestin-free cells. Nestin is introduced by transient transfection and is positively correlated with the disassembly of vimentin IFs into nonfilamentous aggregates or particles in mitotic but not interphase cells. This nestin-mediated disassembly of IFs is dependent on the phosphorylation of vimentin by the maturation/M-phase-promoting factor at ser-55 in the amino-terminal head domain. In addition, the disassembly of vimentin IFs during mitosis appears to be a unique feature of nestin-expr

SUBMITTER: Chou YH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC153115 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature