Nurminsky, D.I., Nurminskaya, M.V., Benevolenskaya, E.V., Shevelyov, Y.Y., Hartl, D.L., Gvozdev, V.A. (1998). Cytoplasmic dynein intermediate-chain isoforms with different targeting properties created by tissue-specific alternative splicing.  Mol. Cell. Biol. 18(11): 6816--6825.

FBrf0105288

Research paper

The intermediate chains (ICs) are the subunits of the cytoplasmic dynein that provide binding of the complex to cargo organelles through interaction of their N termini with dynactin. We present evidence that in Drosophila, the IC subunits are represented by at least 10 structural isoforms, created by the alternative splicing of transcripts from a unique Cdic gene. The splicing pattern is tissue specific. A constitutive set of four IC isoforms is expressed in all tissues tested; in addition, tissue-specific isoforms are found in the ovaries and nervous tissue. The structural variations between isoforms are limited to the N terminus of the IC molecule, where the interaction with dynactin takes place. This suggests differences in the dynactin-mediated organelle binding by IC isoforms. Accordingly, when transiently expressed in Drosophila Schneider-3 cells, the IC isoforms differ in their intracellular targeting properties from each other. A mechanism is proposed for the regulation of dynein binding to organelles through the changes in the content of the IC isoform pool.

PMC109265 (PMC) (EuropePMC)