Cell adhesion & signaling

Cell Adhesion and Signaling

Research Interest

Over the past decade, several studies on the subcellular distribution of the plaque proteins of adhering junctions have revealed that a number of such proteins are not only constituents of cell-cell contact structures but also found dispersed in the cytoplasm and nucleus. This dual location suggests that in addition to establishing and maintaining cell adhesive functions these proteins may also play roles in nuclear and ribonucleoprotein processing mechanisms. The most well characterized molecule in this regard is beta-catenin, a member of the armadillo protein family. We focus our studies on members of the p120 subfamily of armadillo proteins, the proteins ARVCF, p0071, plakophilins 1 and 3. Our aim is to identify protein complexes of these proteins in their non-junctional state, to characterize their function in these complexes and to discover how the exchange between the junctional and the non-junctional state is regulated. Moreover, the contribution of the members of the p120-subfamily to signaling cascades in healthy and malignant situations, e.g cancer, will be evaluated.

	Scheme of the p120-subfamily of armadillo repeat proteins consisting of p120-catenin, ARVCF, p0071-catenin, neurojungin and the plakophilins 1-3.

Please contact PD Dr. Ilse Hofmann for further information: hofmann(at)angiogenese.de

=> CV of PD Dr. Ilse Hofmann

Recommended Reading

Breuninger S, Reidenbach S, Sauer CG, Ströbel P, Pfitzenmaier J, Trojan L, Hofmann I.(2010). Desmosomal plakophilins in the prostate and prostatic adenocarcinomas: implications for diagnosis and tumor progression. Am J Pathol. May;176(5):2509-19, 2010.

Walter, B., Berger, I., Hofmann, I. (2009). The proteins ARVCF and p0071 in renal cell carcinomas and their potential use in the diagnosis of renal tumors. Histopathology DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2009.03444.x

Walter, B., Krebs, U., Berger, I., Hofmann, I. (2009). Protein p0071, an armadillo plaque protein of adherens junctions, is predominantly expressed in distal renal tubules. Histochem. Cell Biol. DOI 10.1007/s00418-009-0645-6.

Hofmann, I., Schlechter, T., Kuhn, C., Hergt, M., Franke, W. W. (2009). Protein p0071, an armadillo plaque protein that characterizes a specific subtype of adherens junctions. J. Cell Sci. 122, 21-24.

Walter, B., Schlechter, T., Hergt, M., Berger, I., Hofmann, I. (2008). Differential expression pattern of Protein ARVCF in nephron segments of human and mouse kidney. Histochem. Cell Biol. 334, 381-399.

Hofmann, I., Kuhn, C., Franke W. W. (2008). Protein p0071, a major plaque protein of non-desmosomal adhering junctions, is a selective cell-type marker. Cell Tissue Res. 334, 381-399.

Hofmann, I., Casella, M., Schnölzer, M., Schlechter, T., Spring, H. Franke, W. W. (2006). Identification of the junctional plaque protein 3 in cytoplasmic particles containing RNA-binding proteins and the recruitment of plakophilins 1 and 3 to stress granules. Mol Cell Biol. 17, 1388-1398.

Hofmann, I., Schnölzer, M., Kaufmann, I., and Franke, W. W. (2002). Symplekin, a constitutive protein of karyo- and cytoplasmic particles involved in mRNA biogenesis in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Mol. Biol. Cell 13 , 1665-1676

Mertens, C., Hofmann, I., Wang, Z., Teichmann, M., Sepehri Chong, S., Schnölzer, M., and Franke, W. W. (2001). Nuclear particles containing RNA polymerase III complexes associated with junctional plaque protein plakophilin 2. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 7795-7800.

Hofmann, I., Mertens, C., Brettel, M., Nimmrich, V., Schnölzer, M., Herrmann, H. (2000). Interaction of plakophilins with desmoplakin and intermediate filament proteins: an in vitro analysis. J. Cell Sci. 113, 2471-2483.

Funding

Deutsche Krebshilfe