Twinfilin-2a is dispensable for mouse development

PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e22894. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022894. Epub 2011 Aug 18.

Abstract

Twinfilins are evolutionarily conserved regulators of cytoskeletal dynamics. They inhibit actin polymerization by binding both actin monomers and filament barbed ends. Inactivation of the single twinfilin gene from budding yeast and fruit fly results in defects in endocytosis, cell migration, and organization of the cortical actin filament structures. Mammals express three twinfilin isoforms, of which twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2a display largely overlapping expression patterns in non-muscle tissues of developing and adult mice. The expression of twinfilin-2b, which is generated through alternative promoter usage of the twinfilin-2 gene, is restricted to heart and skeletal muscles. However, the physiological functions of mammalian twinfilins have not been reported. As a first step towards understanding the function of twinfilin in vertebrates, we generated twinfilin-2a deficient mice by deleting exon 1 of the twinfilin-2 gene. Twinfilin-2a knockout mice developed normally to adulthood, were fertile, and did not display obvious morphological or behavioural abnormalities. Tissue anatomy and morphology in twinfilin-2a deficient mice was similar to that of wild-type littermates. These data suggest that twinfilin-2a plays a redundant role in cytoskeletal dynamics with the biochemically similar twinfilin-1, which is typically co-expressed in same tissues with twinfilin-2a.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blotting, Northern
  • Blotting, Western
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Growth and Development / genetics*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Microfilament Proteins / deficiency
  • Microfilament Proteins / genetics
  • Microfilament Proteins / metabolism*
  • Organ Specificity / genetics
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Tissue Extracts

Substances

  • Microfilament Proteins
  • Ptk9 protein, mouse
  • TWF2 protein, mouse
  • Tissue Extracts