Pataky F, Pironkova R, Hudspeth A J
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Feb 24;101(8):2601-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0308620100.
Proteins of the ezrin-radixin-moesin family are ubiquitous constituents of the submembrane cortex, especially in epithelial cells. Earlier biochemical results suggested that a protein of this family occurs in the hair bundle, the cluster of actin-filled stereocilia that serves as the mechanoreceptive organelle of each hair cell in the inner ear. We prepared antipeptide antisera directed against chicken radixin and ezrin and demonstrated their specificity and absence of crossreactivity. When used in immunocytochemical studies of isolated hair cells, anti-radixin produced an intense band of labeling at the bases of hair bundles from the chicken, frog, mouse, and zebrafish. Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry disclosed that radixin labeling commenced in the stereociliary taper, peaked in the lower stereociliary shaft, and declined progressively toward the hair bundle's top. Labeling with anti-ezrin produced no signal in hair bundles. Radixin is thus a prominent constituent of stereocilia, where it may participate in anchoring the "pointed" ends of actin filaments to the membrane.
埃兹蛋白-根蛋白-膜突蛋白家族的蛋白质是膜下皮质的普遍组成成分,尤其是在上皮细胞中。早期的生化研究结果表明,该家族的一种蛋白质存在于毛束中,毛束是由充满肌动蛋白的静纤毛组成的簇,是内耳中每个毛细胞的机械感受细胞器。我们制备了针对鸡根蛋白和埃兹蛋白的抗肽抗血清,并证明了它们的特异性和无交叉反应性。当用于分离的毛细胞的免疫细胞化学研究时,抗根蛋白在鸡、青蛙、小鼠和斑马鱼的毛束基部产生了强烈的标记带。电子显微镜免疫细胞化学显示,根蛋白标记始于静纤毛的锥形部分,在静纤毛轴的下部达到峰值,并朝着毛束顶部逐渐下降。用抗埃兹蛋白标记在毛束中未产生信号。因此,根蛋白是静纤毛的重要组成成分,它可能参与将肌动蛋白丝的“尖”端锚定到膜上。