Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:06:51 BST CiteULike: abasszubek's Wahl http://www.citeulike.org/user/abasszubek/author/Wahl CiteULike.org en-gb Copyright © 2004-2008 citeulike.org http://www.citeulike.org/user/abasszubek/article/2802109 <i>J. Cell Biol. (12 May 2008), jcb.200712133.</i><br /><br />Plakophilins (PKPs) are armadillo family members related to the classical cadherin-associated protein p120ctn. PKPs localize to the cytoplasmic plaque of intercellular junctions and participate in linking the intermediate filament (IF)-binding protein desmoplakin (DP) to desmosomal cadherins. In response to cell-cell contact, PKP2 associates with DP in plaque precursors that form in the cytoplasm and translocate to nascent desmosomes. Here, we provide evidence that PKP2 governs DP assembly dynamics by scaffolding a DP-PKP2-protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) complex, which is disrupted by PKP2 knockdown. The behavior of a phosphorylation-deficient DP mutant that associates more tightly with IF is mimicked by PKP2 and PKCalpha knockdown and PKC pharmacological inhibition, all of which impair junction assembly. PKP2 knockdown is accompanied by increased phosphorylation of PKC substrates, raising the possibility that global alterations in PKC signaling may contribute to pathogenesis of congenital defects caused by PKP2 deficiency. 10.1083/jcb.200712133 Plakophilin 2: a critical scaffold for PKCalpha that regulates intercellular junction assembly Amanda Bass-Zubek Ryan Hobbs Evangeline Amargo Nicholas Garcia Sherry Hsieh Xinyu Chen James Wahl Mitchell Denning Kathleen Green doi:10.1083/jcb.200712133 J. Cell Biol. (12 May 2008), jcb.200712133. 2008-05-15T16:32:24-00:00 2008 J. Cell Biol. jcb.200712133 no-tag