First published online May 28, 2004
Journal of Cell Science 117, 1304e (2004)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Formin' an attachment to Epstein-Barr virus
CD21 is the cellular receptor for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is expressed by B cells and dendritic cells and has an important role as a co-receptor in B-cell receptor (BCR) signalling. The pathways CD21 activates remain obscure. Joyce Fingeroth and co-workers have therefore searched for proteins that interact with its cytoplasmic region (see p. 2709). They find that this region interacts with FHOS a member of the formin family of actin-nucleating proteins in two-hybrid studies. They confirm that the interaction occurs in vivo by expressing a GFP-FHOS fusion protein in a B-cell line and showing that the two proteins colocalize and can be coprecipitated. The authors go on to demonstrate that FHOS colocalizes with actin at the cell periphery and is particularly evident in elongating protrusions. Moreover, they show that exposing CD21 to purified EBV or a crosslinking antibody enhances this effect and causes CD21 to redistribute to large membrane patches. Since formins can direct cytoskeletal rearrangements and FHOS is implicated in vesicle trafficking, the interaction could be important both for formation of microdomains in BCR signalling and during endocytosis of EBV.

CiteULike
Complore
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Technorati
Twitter What's this?
Related articles in JCS:
- EBV attachment stimulates FHOS/FHOD1 redistribution and co-aggregation with CD21: formin interactions with the cytoplasmic domain of human CD21
- Michael B. Gill, Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield, David R. Sage, Maria Zambela-Soediono, Nina Longtine, Marc Uknis, and Joyce D. Fingeroth
JCS 2004 117: 2709-2720.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]