Lindström Nils O, Neves Carlos, McIntosh Rebecca, Miedzybrodzka Zosia, Vargesson Neil, Collinson J Martin
School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
Gene Expr Patterns. 2011 Mar-Apr;11(3-4):221-32. doi: 10.1016/j.gep.2010.12.003. Epub 2010 Dec 16.
The Lim-kinase (LIMK) proteins are important for the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, in particular the control of actin nucleation and depolymerisation via regulation of cofilin, and hence may control a large number of processes during development, including cell tensegrity, migration, cell cycling, and axon guidance. LIMK1/LIMK2 knockouts disrupt spinal cord morphogenesis and synapse formation but other tissues and developmental processes that require LIMK are yet to be fully determined. To identify tissues and cell-types that may require LIMK, we characterised the pattern of LIMK1 protein during mouse embryogenesis. We showed that LIMK1 displays an expression pattern that is temporally dynamic and tissue-specific. In several tissues LIMK1 is detected in cell-types that also express Wilms' tumour protein 1 and that undergo transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal states, including the pleura, epicardium, kidney nephrons, and gonads. LIMK1 was also found in a subset of cells in the dorsal retina, and in mesenchymal cells surrounding the peripheral nerves. This detailed study of the spatial and temporal expression of LIMK1 shows that LIMK1 expression is more dynamic than previously reported, in particular at sites of tissue-tissue interactions guiding multiple developmental processes.
LIM激酶（LIMK）蛋白对于肌动蛋白细胞骨架的调节非常重要，特别是通过对丝切蛋白的调节来控制肌动蛋白的成核和解聚，因此可能在发育过程中控制大量过程，包括细胞张力完整性、迁移、细胞周期和轴突导向。LIMK1/LIMK2基因敲除会破坏脊髓形态发生和突触形成，但其他需要LIMK的组织和发育过程尚未完全确定。为了确定可能需要LIMK的组织和细胞类型，我们对小鼠胚胎发育过程中LIMK1蛋白的模式进行了表征。我们发现LIMK1呈现出一种随时间动态变化且具有组织特异性的表达模式。在几个组织中，LIMK1在同时表达威尔姆斯瘤蛋白1且经历上皮和间充质状态转变的细胞类型中被检测到，包括胸膜、心外膜、肾单位和性腺。在视网膜背侧的一部分细胞以及周围神经周围的间充质细胞中也发现了LIMK1。对LIMK1时空表达的这项详细研究表明，LIMK1的表达比以前报道的更具动态性，特别是在引导多个发育过程的组织-组织相互作用部位。
