Dresden 2014 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 33: Cytoskeleton (original: BP, joined by CPP)
CPP 33.3: Vortrag
Mittwoch, 2. April 2014, 10:15–10:30, HÜL 386
The role of keratins for the mechanical properties of keratinocytes — •Gloria Fabris1, Ronald Springer1, Lena Ramms1, Reinhard Windoffer2, Nicole Schwarz2, Simone Stiefel1, Nils Hersch1, Thomas Magin3, Rudolf Leube2, Bernd Hoffmann1, and Rudolf Merkel1 — 1ICS-7, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany — 2Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen, Germany — 3Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Germany
Keratin intermediate filaments contribute forming the cytoskeleton of many epithelial cell types: in keratinocytes, for example, type I and type II keratins form a stable network which is supposedly crucial to the mechanical integrity at the cellular and tissue level.
Owing to compensatory keratin expression, the overall contribution of keratin proteins to cell mechanics is difficult to examine in vivo upon deletion of single genes. In our study, we compared wild type mouse epidermal keratinocytes with mutant cells (KO) in which the whole gene cluster expressing members of the keratin family was deleted [1].
Atomic force microscopy indentation experiments showed a highly significant softening of KO keratinocytes when compared with the wild type, which could not be attributed to modifications of other cytoskeletal structures (i.e. microfilaments/microtubules).
Data clearly indicated that the keratin cytoskeleton plays a vital role in conferring stiffness and structural stability to keratinocytes.
[1] Ramms L, et al., PNAS 110(46):18513-18518 (2013).