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PubMed1994

Induction of aggregation and augmentation of protein kinase-mediated phosphorylation of purified vimentin intermediate filaments by withangulatin A.

Purified assembly-competent vimentin, an intermediate filament protein, was obtained from bovine lens in this study. The effects of withangulatin A on vimentin assembly with or without phosphorylation were examined by negative-stain electron microscopy. Soluble tetrameric vimentin was assembled into irregular fibrils with lateral associations or short filaments after pretreatment with 50 or 100 microM withangulatin A, respectively. Incubation of assembled vimentin filaments with withangulatin A at 50 or 100 microM resulted in the formation of aggregates, and the degree of aggregation was concentration dependent. The appearance of vimentin filaments was slightly altered after treatment with cAMP-dependent protein kinase or protein kinase C; however, phosphorylation of filamentous vimentin by the protein kinases in the presence of withangulatin A resulted in higher degrees of aggregation of the filaments, compared with those treated only with the drug. Moreover, the level of phosphorylation of filamentous vimentin by the protein kinases was augmented in the presence of withangulatin A. Experimental results indicated that withangulatin A directly and specifically affects the conformation of the vimentin molecules, thereby resulting in alterations in assembly behavior and reactivity toward cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C. The data observed further imply that withangulatin A, which directly causes aggregation of vimentin filaments, is a vimentin intermediate filament-targeting drug.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Intermediate filament proteins: many unanswered questions, few unquestioned answers.

Major constituents of the cytoskeleton and the nuclear matrix, cytoplasmic intermediate filament subunits and nuclear lamins belong to a multigene family of proteins whose function is poorly understood. It has now become a general contention that important clues to the physiological roles of these proteins may reside in their developmental and tissue-specific expression patterns, as well as their cellular organization. The present review brings into focus experimental strategies that have been developed, over the past few years, to gain insights into the cellular mechanisms regulating the molecular polymorphism and supramolecular assembly of intermediate filaments. In this context new concepts are discussed that may be pivotal for the orientation of future studies on intermediate filament proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Reactivity of monoclonal antibodies against intermediate filament proteins during embryonic development.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against a preparation of intermediate filaments from trophoblastoma cells were studied for their reactivity pattern during embryonic development and on adult tissue cells. Up to day 12 of embryonic development, epithelial cells of the three germ layers reacted with these mAbs. Later during development and in adult tissues, positive reactions could be observed only with epithelial cells derived from mesoderm and endoderm. Because of their tissue distribution, the proteins reacting with these mAbs might belong to the keratin family of intermediate filaments or they might represent a new group of intermediate filaments.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Assembly of vimentin in vitro and its implications concerning the structure of intermediate filaments.

After dialysis against 10 mM-Tris-acetate (pH 8.5), vimentin that has been purified in the presence of urea is present in the form of tetrameric 2 to 3 nm X 48 nm rods known as protofilaments. These building blocks in turn polymerize into intermediate filaments (10 to 12 nm diameter) when they are dialyzed against a solution of physiological ionic strength and pH. By varying the ionic conditions under which polymerization takes place, we have identified two classes of assembly intermediates whose structures provide clues as to how an intermediate filament may be constructed. The structure of the first class, seen when assembly takes place at 10 to 20 mM-salt at pH 8.5, strongly suggests that one of the initial steps of filament assembly is the association of protofilaments into pairs with a half-unit axial stagger. Increasing the ionic strength of the assembly buffer leads to the emergence of short, full-width intermediate filaments at approximately 50 mM-salt at pH 8.5. In the presence of additional protofilaments, these short filaments elongate to many micrometers when the ionic strength and pH are further adjusted to physiological levels. The electron microscope images of the assembly intermediates suggest that vimentin-containing intermediate filaments are made up of eight protofilaments, assembled such that there is an approximately 22 nm axial stagger between neighboring protofilaments. We propose that this half-unit staggering of protofilaments is a fundamental feature of intermediate filament structure and assembly, and that it could account for the 20 to 22 nm axial repeat seen in all intermediate filaments examined so far.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

IgG binding to cytoskeletal intermediate filaments activates the complement cascade.

The cellular plasma membrane becomes permeable to macromolecules during the cell injury process. This results in exposure of the interior of the cell to plasma proteins and to high-affinity binding of the Fc part of IgG to intermediate filaments (Hansson, G K, Starkebaum, G A, Benditt, E P & Schwartz, S M, Proc natl acad sci USA 81 (1984) 3103). Such IgG binding could be an early step in a process that serves to eliminate the injured cell. We have now identified its effect on the complement system. Intermediate filaments were reconstituted in vitro from purified vimentin, and incubated with plasma proteins. Cross-linker experiments showed binding of the heavy chain of IgG to vimentin, indicating that the vimentin protein carries an Fc-binding site. In contrast, no direct binding of complement factor Clq to vimentin could be detected. Binding of both IgG and Clq could, however, be detected by immunofluorescence when cytoskeletons of cultured endothelial cells were incubated with fresh serum. Therefore, IgG binding to filaments in the presence of serum is accompanied by Clq binding to IgG. This was in turn followed by fixation of C4 and C3 to intermediate filaments in a process that was dependent on both Ca2+, Mg2+ and Clq, indicating that it was part of a complement activation via the classical pathway. Exposure of fresh serum to intermediate filaments also resulted in production of the anaphylatoxic complement cleavage fragment. C3a, with a dose-response relationship between the amount of filaments present and the amount of C3a generated. Chemotactic activity towards granulocytes and monocytes was also generated by exposure of serum to intermediate filaments, and this activity was dependent on the presence of complement factor C5 and on the classical complement activation cascade, implying that it was due to the C5a peptide. Exposure of the interior of the cell to plasma proteins thus results in binding of IgG to intermediate filaments and activation of the complement cascade via the classical pathway. This, in turn generates bioactive mediators which may recruit leukocytes to the injured cell (C5a) and have profound effects on vascular permeability (C3a, C5a). We propose that this is part of a scavenger mechanism for the elimination of damaged cells.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1989

The amino acid sequence of component 7c, a type II intermediate-filament protein from wool.

Component 7c is one of the four homologous type II intermediate-filament proteins that, by association with the complementary type I proteins, form the microfibrils or intermediate filaments in wool. Component 7c was isolated as the S-carboxymethyl derivative from Merino wool and its amino acid sequence was determined by manual and automatic sequencing of peptides produced by chemical and enzymic cleavage reactions. It is an N-terminally blocked molecule of 491 residues and Mr (not including the blocking group) of 55,600; the nature of the blocking group has not been determined. The predicted secondary structure shows that component 7c conforms to the now accepted pattern for intermediate-filament proteins in having a central rod-like region of approximately 310 residues of coiled-coil alpha-helix flanked by non-helical N-and C-terminal regions. The central region is divided by three non-coiled-coil linking segments into four helical segments 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. The N-and C-terminal non-helical segments are 109 and 71 residues respectively and are rich in cysteine. Details of procedures use in determining the sequence of component 7c have been deposited as a Supplementary Publication SUP 50152 (65 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1989) 257,5. The information comprises: (1) details of chemical and enzymic methods used for cleavage of component 7c, peptides CN1, CN2 and CN3, and various other peptides, (2) details of the procedures used for the fractionation and purification of peptides from (1), including Figures showing the elution profiles from the chromatographic steps used, (3) details of methods used to determine the C-terminal sequence of peptide CN3, and (4) detailed evidence to justify a number of corrections to the previously published sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Astrocyte cell lineage. II. Mouse fibrous astrocytes and reactive astrocytes in cultures have vimentin- and GFP-containing intermediate filaments.

When cells from mouse neopallium are grown in colony cultures for 10-12 days, small cells with many processes, resembling normal fibrous astrocytes, form on top of the astrocyte precursor cells independently of the presence of dBcAMP in the culture medium. These cells are distinctly different from the much larger, previously described reactive astrocytes which also form in colony cultures and whose maturation is greatly enhanced by the presence of dBcAMP in the culture medium. Immunofluorescence studies showed that both vimentin-containing and glial filament protein (GFP)-containing intermediate filaments (IF) are present in the small normal fibrous astrocytes as well as in the larger reactive astrocytes. The vimentin-containing IF are assembled first in astrocyte precursor cells, whereas GFP-containing IF are assembled later toward the final stages of astrocyte differentiation both in vivo and in vitro. Thus in respect to the expression of the two types of IF, astrocyte differentiation in vitro closely resembles that in vivo. Parallel studies by electron microscopy showed that the vimentin-positive but GFP-negative astrocyte precursor cells contain single IF or small groups of IF, whereas in the more differentiated normal fibrous astrocytes and reactive astrocytes which are also GFP-positive, additional IF arranged in large bundles are present.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Expression of new proteins of the intermediate filament protein family in differentiating F9 embryonal carcinoma cell cytoskeleton.

Differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells by retinoic acid treatment results in extraembryonic endoderm-like cells. The effects of this process on the protein composition of the intermediate filaments were studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and by immunoblotting. By this approach, two new proteins induced in differentiating cells, p57 and p54, were identified in cytoskeletal preparations enriched in intermediate filaments. The 57-kDa protein could be resolved into at least three components (pI 5.6-5.9), and the 54-kDa protein into at least two components (pI approximately 5.6). Both proteins reacted with a monoclonal antibody which recognizes an antigenic determinant common to all intermediate filaments. Based on these results, the two proteins were identified as members of the intermediate filament protein family. Partial digestion with V8 protease showed that p57 was different from vimentin, another intermediate filament protein present in these cells. p57 and p54 were also immunodetected by a polyclonal anti-keratin anti-serum, which suggests that these proteins share some homology with the keratins. These two proteins are different from the endodermal cytoskeletal protein A and B (endo A and endo B) keratins, which are known to be present in extraembryonic endoderm-like cells. They were also more abundant than endo A and endo B in differentiating F9 embryonal carcinoma cells, but almost undetectable in terminally differentiated extraembryonic endoderm-like cells, where endo A and endo B are readily detectable. This suggests that p57 and p54 have a different pattern of expression than endo A and endo B.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Structure of the mouse gene encoding peripherin: a neuronal intermediate filament protein.

The gene encoding mouse peripherin, a neuronal intermediate filament protein, has been cloned. Its sequence, through 1021 nucleotides composing the 5'-flanking region, nine exons, eight introns and 547 nucleotides of the 3'-flanking region, as well as its transcription initiation site have been determined. The amino acid coding sequence differs from that of the rat peripherin gene. The mouse gene has an additional histidine near the N-terminal end, and shows three conservative and two non-conservative changes. The promoter sequence, containing the binding sites for transcription factors as well as other sequences is homologous to promoter regions of other type III intermediate filament protein genes and other neuronal-specific genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Structure of the gene encoding peripherin, an NGF-regulated neuronal-specific type III intermediate filament protein.

We have cloned the rat gene encoding peripherin, a neuronal-specific intermediate filament protein that is NGF-regulated. Determination of the complete sequence, including 821 nucleotides of the 5'-flanking region, allows us to make conclusions about the evolutionary origin of the peripherin gene, its homology with other intermediate filament proteins, and possible mechanisms of regulation of peripherin expression in neurons. The positions of the eight peripherin gene introns correspond to the intron patterns of desmin, vimentin, and GFAP, with one example of intron sliding. Together with protein sequence homologies, this conclusively demonstrates that peripherin is a type III intermediate filament protein. The peripherin promoter contains sequences homologous to regions of other NGF-regulated promoters, which may function in peripherin induction by NGF.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

[Microfilaments and intermediate filaments in the fetal capillary endothelial cells of the human chorionic villi--ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study].

Augmentation of cytoskeletons in fetal capillary endothelial cells is one of the well known pathologic changes in toxemic placentae. But we can find very few reports on these filaments in placentae, especially on their ontogeny. An ultrastructural study on human chorionic villi from 55 normal and 25 toxemic pregnancies, covering all periods of gestation, revealed that endothelial cells already had a small amount of intermediate filaments and microfilaments from 6 weeks' gestation and that they gradually increased as pregnancy progresses. In toxemic cases, intermediate filaments were markedly augmented, occasionally forming bundles, to occupy the cytoplasm of endothelial cells, so that there was often no space for cytoplasmic organelles. Intermediate filaments were predominant in thinner parts of endothelial cells; both intermediate filaments and microfilaments were easily recognized in thicker parts. These filaments seemed to determine the arrangement of organelles such as rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopic studies with monoclonal antibodies proved that endothelial cells contained vimentin and actin, not cytokeratin and desmin. In toxemic placentae, augmentation of intermediate filaments may disturb normal movements of endothelial cells, and may cause an increase in vascular resistance to placental microcirculation and intrauterine growth retardation in the fetus.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed1985

Antiparallel orientation of the two double-stranded coiled-coils in the tetrameric protofilament unit of intermediate filaments.

The chymotryptically excised middle domain of desmin slightly exceeds in length the structurally conserved alpha-helical middle region documented in all intermediate filament proteins by amino acid sequence data. This rod domain is a protofilament derivative with a tetrameric organization, thus indicating the presence of two double-stranded coiled-coil units. We now show by immunoelectron microscopy that Fab fragments of a desmin-specific monoclonal antibody mixed with the rod lead to dumb-bell-shaped structures. The tagging of both ends together with the length of the rod (48 nm) argues for an antiparallel orientation of the two coiled-coils without a major stagger. This information combined with the lateral 21 nm periodicity of the intermediate filament observed by us and others leads to a structural hypothesis similar to those entertained from X-ray data on wool alpha-keratins, although here an antiparallel tetrameric unit of some 60 to 66 nm is invoked, which has never been isolated. The structure that we discuss allows for the existence of both the particles, and the antibody experiment strongly supports the antiparallel orientation postulated in both approaches. The tube-like filament structure proposed for the intermediate filament agrees with recent mass per unit length measurements and allows for two minor classes of intermediate filaments with different values in this property as also found experimentally.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1992

Interaction of trichohyalin with intermediate filaments: three immunologically defined stages of trichohyalin maturation.

"Trichohyalin" is a 220-kD protein found in trichohyalin granules that are present as major differentiation products in the medulla and inner root sheath cells of human hair follicles. It was unclear whether this protein served as an intermediate filament precursor in the inner root sheath or as an intermediate-filament-associated (matrix) protein. We have produced a panel of monoclonal antibodies (AE15-17) to this protein and used them to trace its fate during inner root sheath differentiation. These studies have allowed us to define three immunologically distinct forms of this trichohyalin protein. They are 1) the AE15-positive form, which is found throughout all trichohyalin granules; 2) the AE16-positive form, which is localized as discrete punctae on the surface of trichohyalin granules; and 3) the AE17-positive, intermediate-filament-bound form, which associates with the inner root sheath filaments with a regular, 400-nm periodicity. From these results we suggest that the 220-kD trichohyalin protein is an intermediate-filament-associated protein that may play a role in the lateral aggregation, precise alignment, and stabilization of inner root sheath filament bundles.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Intermediate filament change in astrocytes following mild cortical contusion.

Astrocytes are known to become reactive as a result of various types of lesions. They upregulate astrocytic-specific intermediate filament glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and show a positive signal for the intermediate filament vimentin, a protein primarily found in developing astrocytes. An animal model for cortical contusions has been developed that manifests many of the neuropathologies seen in human closed head injury. The model involves an electronic controlled pneumatic impact device (ECPI), which can deliver precise and controlled cortical contusions to an animal. This model can be used to study astrocyte response to injury, leading to a better understanding of glial reaction to head trauma in humans. Young adult male Fisher 344 rats were subjected to a mild dorsal lateral cortical impact. The astrocytic intermediate filaments GFAP and vimentin were upregulated in a time-dependent manner 2 days after injury. By 30 days following contusion these intermediate filaments returned to near preinjury levels. Using the same injury model bromodeoxynridine (BrdU) was injected in additional animals on the day of sacrifice, 1, 2, 4, and 10 days after injury, to label cells synthesizing new DNA. Double labeling utilizing fluorescence immunocytochemistry indicated that on postinjury day 2 very few GFAP-positive cells were double labeled with BrdU. No double-labeled cells were seen at the other time points. These data suggest that astrocyte proliferation may not be a major response to mild cortical contusion and that vimentin expression may not necessarily be associated with astrocytic proliferation in response to injury.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Association of intermediate filaments with vinculin-containing adhesion plaques of fibroblasts.

Double immunofluorescence staining of quail embryo fibroblasts with rabbit antibody to vinculin and mouse monoclonal antibody to vimentin revealed a coincidence between fluorescence patterns for cell-substrate focal contacts and intermediate filaments. Most of the vinculin-containing adhesion plaques coincided with the ends of vimentin-positive fibrils. This association was further corroborated by immunoelection microscopic observations of the cytoskeletons of quail and mouse fibroblasts using a platinum replica technique. The intermediate filaments were identified either by direct treatment with antivimentin IgM or by an indirect immunogold staining method. Colcemid treatment of the cells caused a collapse of intermediate filaments and destroyed their association with focal contacts. During the early stages of the colcemid-induced collapse of the intermediate filaments, single vimentin fibrils appeared to retain their association with focal contacts. The possible role of the intermediate filaments in the formation and maintenance of focal contacts is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Evidence for direct binding of intracellularly distributed ganglioside GM2 to isolated vimentin intermediate filaments in normal and Tay-Sachs disease human fibroblasts.

Although some intracellularly distributed glycosphingolipids are reported to be associated with vimentin intermediate filaments or colchicine sensitive cytoskeleton, no direct evidence for such an association has yet been shown. In this report we demonstrated that the intracellularly distributed ganglioside GM2 directly binds to isolated vimentin intermediate filaments in normal and Tay-Sachs disease human fibroblasts. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy using a GM2-specific monoclonal antibody demonstrated filamentously distributed GM2 in the cytoplasm. A double staining of Tay-Sachs fibroblasts with anti-GM2 and anti-vimentin monoclonal antibodies strongly suggested that the GM2 positive filaments are vimentin intermediate filaments. We then isolated vimentin, in the presence of a detergent and urea, from the normal human skin fibroblasts and murine mastocytoma cells. In a solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the isolated vimentin dose-dependently reacted with both anti-vimentin and anti-GM2 monoclonal antibodies but not with anti-GM3 or anti-GM1 monoclonal antibody. The molar ratio of GM2 to vimentin was approximately 20:1. The lipid fraction extracted from the purified vimentin preparation was immunostained with anti-GM2 on a thin-layer chromatography plate. Furthermore, only one band was detected at the molecular weight of 57 kDa, after electroblotting and simultaneous immunostaining with anti-GM2 and anti-vimentin monoclonal antibodies. These results clearly indicated that ganglioside GM2 directly binds to vimentin.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Behavior of intermediate filaments in human epithelial cells during mitosis].

By indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy, we studied the behavior of intermediate filaments during mitosis in three human epithelial cell lines, derived from normal epidermis (PcaSE-1, from a cancer patient), stratified epithelium (CNE, from nasopharyngeal carcinoma) and simple epithelium (SPC-A-1 from lung adenocarcinoma) respectively. CNE cells and SPC-A-1 cells express two different intermediate filament systems; keratin filaments and vimentin filaments, but PcaSE-1 cells only express keratin filaments. The keratin filament system in PcaSE-1 cells remained intact and encircled the developing mitotic spindle as the cells entered mitosis. In contrast, in CNE cells and SPC-A-1 cells, keratin filaments appeared to disassemble into amorphous cytoplasmic bodies during mitosis. However, their vimentin filaments remained morphologically intact throughout mitosis. We propose; (1) The disassembly of keratin filaments in mitotic epithelial cells is more or less associated with the degree of their cell malignancy rather than with the abundance of keratin filaments in interphase. (2) Intermediate filaments may be involved in the positioning and/or centering of the spindle during mitosis. (3) The possible function of vimentin filament system in CNE cells is positioning and orientation of chromosomes.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnostic significance of coexpression of intermediate filaments in fine needle aspirates of human tumors.

A study was undertaken of the diagnostic significance of the coexpression of intermediate filaments in fine needle aspirates of human tumors. Three types of coexpression were found: (1) true coexpression, in which tumor cells simultaneously express more than one intermediate filament protein; (2) pseudocoexpression, in which various tumor cell types from histogenetically different parts of a complex tumor show different results; and (3) false coexpression, in which tumor cells with one or two types of intermediate filaments are present together with benign cells expressing a different filament type. True coexpression of vimentin and keratin was documented in renal cell carcinomas, endometrial carcinomas, certain thyroid carcinomas and Hürthle cell adenomas. Coexpression of keratin and neurofilaments was seen in Merkel cell carcinomas, and coexpression of desmin and vimentin was found in leiomyosarcomas. Keratin, vimentin and neurofilament expression was seen in medullary thyroid carcinomas, and keratin, vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression was observed in pleomorphic adenomas of the salivary gland. Pseudocoexpression was noted in synovial sarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, benign cystosarcoma phyllodes of the breast, teratocarcinoma, malignant granular cell tumor, progonoma, Wilms' tumor and triton tumor. Sources of false coexpression are also discussed.

Biopsy, Needle↗