TY - JOUR
T1 - Normal development of mice and unimpaired cell adhesion/cell motility/actin-based cytoskeleton without compensatory up-regulation of ezrin or radixin in moesin gene knockout
AU - Doi, Yoshinori
AU - Itoh, Masahiko
AU - Yonemura, Shigenobu
AU - Ishihara, Satoru
AU - Takano, Hiroshi
AU - Noda, Tetsuo
AU - Tsukita, Shoichiro
AU - Tsukita, Sachiko
PY - 1999/1/22
Y1 - 1999/1/22
N2 - Ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins are general cross-linkers between the plasma membrane and actin filaments. Because their expression is regulated in a tissue-specific manner, each ERM protein has been proposed to have unique functions. On the other hand, experiments at the cellular level and in vitro have suggested their functional redundancy. To assess the possible unique functions of ERM proteins in vive, the moesin gene located on the X chromosome was disrupted by gene targeting in embryonic stem cells. Male mice hemizygous for the mutation as well as homozygous females were completely devoid of moesin but developed normally and were fertile, with no obvious histological abnormalities in any of the tissues examined. In the tissues of the mutant mice, moesin completely disappeared without affecting the expression levels or subcellular distribution of ezrin and radixin. Also, in platelets, fibroblasts, and mast cells isolated from moesin-deficient mice, targeted disruption of the moesin gene did not affect their ERM- dependent functions, i.e. platelet aggregation, stress fiber/focal contact formation of fibroblasts, and microvillar formation of mast cells, without compensatory up-regulation of ezrin or radixin. These findings favor the notion that ERM proteins are functionally redundant at the cellular as well as the whole body level.
AB - Ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins are general cross-linkers between the plasma membrane and actin filaments. Because their expression is regulated in a tissue-specific manner, each ERM protein has been proposed to have unique functions. On the other hand, experiments at the cellular level and in vitro have suggested their functional redundancy. To assess the possible unique functions of ERM proteins in vive, the moesin gene located on the X chromosome was disrupted by gene targeting in embryonic stem cells. Male mice hemizygous for the mutation as well as homozygous females were completely devoid of moesin but developed normally and were fertile, with no obvious histological abnormalities in any of the tissues examined. In the tissues of the mutant mice, moesin completely disappeared without affecting the expression levels or subcellular distribution of ezrin and radixin. Also, in platelets, fibroblasts, and mast cells isolated from moesin-deficient mice, targeted disruption of the moesin gene did not affect their ERM- dependent functions, i.e. platelet aggregation, stress fiber/focal contact formation of fibroblasts, and microvillar formation of mast cells, without compensatory up-regulation of ezrin or radixin. These findings favor the notion that ERM proteins are functionally redundant at the cellular as well as the whole body level.
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U2 - 10.1074/jbc.274.4.2315
DO - 10.1074/jbc.274.4.2315
M3 - Article
C2 - 9890997
AN - SCOPUS:0033593481
SN - 0021-9258
VL - 274
SP - 2315
EP - 2321
JO - Journal of Biological Chemistry
JF - Journal of Biological Chemistry
IS - 4
ER -