The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) undergoes rapid turnover at the plasma membrane in various cell types. The ubiquitously expressed N-WASP promotes actin polymerization and regulates endocytic trafficking of other proteins in response to signaling molecules such as Rho-GTPases. In the present study we investigated the effects of wiskostatin, an N-WASP inhibitor, on the surface expression and activity of CFTR. We demonstrate, using surface biotinylation methods, that the steady-state surface CFTR pool in stably transfected BHK cells was dramatically decreased following wiskostatin treatment with a corresponding increase in the amount of intracellular CFTR. Similar effects were observed for latrunculin B, a specific actin-disrupting reagent. Both reagents strongly inhibited macroscopic CFTR-mediated Cl(-) currents in two cell types including HT29-Cl19A colonic epithelial cells. As previously reported, CFTR internalization from the cell surface was strongly inhibited by a cyclic-AMP cocktail. This effect of cyclic-AMP was only partially blunted in the presence of wiskostatin, which raises the possibility that these two factors modulate different steps in CFTR traffic. In kinetic studies wiskostatin appeared to accelerate the initial rate of CFTR endocytosis as well as inhibit its recycling back to the cell surface over longer time periods. Our studies implicate a role for N-WASP-mediated actin polymerization in regulating CFTR surface expression and channel activity.

Syntaxin 1A binds to and inhibits epithelial cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl ؊ channels and synaptic Ca 2؉ channels in addition to participating in SNARE complex assembly and membrane fusion. We exploited the isoform-specific nature of the interaction between syntaxin 1A and CFTR to identify residues in the H3 domain of this SNARE (SNARE motif) that influence CFTR binding and regulation. Mutating isoform-specific residues that map to the surface of syntaxin 1A in the SNARE complex led to the identification of two sets of hydrophilic residues that are important for binding to and regulating CFTR channels or for binding to the syntaxin regulatory protein Munc-18a. None of these mutations affected syntaxin 1A binding to other SNAREs or the assembly and stability of SNARE complexes in vitro. Conversely, the syntaxin 1A-CFTR interaction was unaffected by mutating hydrophobic residues in the H3 domain that influence SNARE complex stability and Ca 2؉ channel regulation. Thus, CFTR channel regulation by syntaxin 1A involves hydrophilic interactions that are mechanistically distinct from the hydrophobic interactions that mediate SNARE complex formation and Ca 2؉ channel regulation by this t-SNARE.

Desmosomes are cell adhesion junctions required for the normal development and maintenance of mammalian tissues and organs such as the skin, skin appendages and the heart. The goal of the present study was to investigate how desmocollins (DSC), transmembrane components of desmosomes, are regulated at the transcriptional level. We hypothesized that differential expression of the Dsc2 and Dsc3 genes is a prerequisite for normal development of skin appendages. We demonstrate that plakoglobin (Pg) in conjunction with Lef-1 differentially regulates the proximal promoters of these two genes. Specifically, we found that Lef-1 acts as a switch activating Dsc2 and repressing Dsc3 in the presence of Pg. Interestingly, we also determined that NFκB pathway components, down-stream effectors of the Eda/EDAR signaling cascade, can activate Dsc2 expression. We hypothesize that Lef-1 and Eda/EDAR/NFκB signaling contribute to a shift in Dsc isoform expression from Dsc3 to Dsc2 in placode keratinocytes. It is tempting to speculate that this shift is required for invasive growth of placode keratinocytes into the dermis, a crucial step in skin appendage formation.

Genetically engineered mice have been essential tools for elucidating the pathological mechanisms underlying human diseases. In the case of diseases caused by impaired desmosome function, mouse models have helped to establish causal links between mutations and disease phenotypes. This review focuses on mice that lack the desmosomal cadherins desmoglein 3 or desmocollin 3 in stratified epithelia. A comparison of the phenotypes observed in these mouse lines is provided and the relationship between the mutant mouse phenotypes and human diseases, in particular pemphigus vulgaris, is discussed. Furthermore, we will discuss the advantages and potential limitations of genetically engineered mouse lines in our ongoing quest to understand blistering skin diseases.

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