α-Actinin-2 deficiency results in sarcomeric defects in zebrafish that cannot be rescued by α-actinin-3 revealing functional differences between sarcomeric isoforms.

ABSTRACT: α-Actinins are actin-binding proteins that can be broadly divided into Ca(2+)-sensitive cytoskeletal and Ca(2+)-insensitive sarcomeric isoforms. To date, little is known about functional differences between the isoforms due to their indistinguishable activities in most in vitro assays. To identify functional differences in vivo between sarcomeric isoforms, we employed computational and molecular approaches to characterize the zebrafish (Danio rerio) genome, which contains orthologoues of each human α-actinin gene, including duplicated copies of actn3. Each isoform exhibits a distinct and unique pattern of gene expression as assessed by mRNA in situ hybridization, largely sharing similar expression profiles as seen in humans. The spatial conservation of expression of these genes from lower

SUBMITTER: Gupta V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3336783 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature