The conserved transmembrane proteoglycan Perdido/Kon-tiki is essential for myofibrillogenesis and sarcomeric structure in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Muscle differentiation requires the assembly of high-order structures called myofibrils, composed of sarcomeres. Even though the molecular organization of sarcomeres is well known, the mechanisms underlying myofibrillogenesis are poorly understood. It has been proposed that integrin-dependent adhesion nucleates myofibrils at the periphery of the muscle cell to sustain sarcomere assembly. Here, we report a role for the gene perdido (perd, also known as kon-tiki, a transmembrane chondroitin proteoglycan) in myofibrillogenesis. Expression of perd RNAi in muscles, prior to adult myogenesis, can induce misorientation and detachment of Drosophila adult abdominal muscles. In comparison to controls, perd-depleted muscles contain fewer myofibrils, which are localized at the cell periphery. These my

SUBMITTER: Perez-Moreno JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4095857 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature