The Importance of Crosslinking Proteins in Regulating the Structural and Physiological Properties of Skeletal Muscle

Crosslinking proteins belonging to the plakin family are important architectural components of a variety of cells include contractile cells.  Bullous pemphigoid antigen 1 (Bpag1), a plakin family member, is expressed in skeletal muscle and has been shown to play a role in maintaining the structural organization of this tissue.  Skeletal muscles from a Bpag1-deficient mouse line (dt^Tg4; Kothary et al., 1988) display both aberrant structural as well as contractile properties.  We are currently using this line of transgenic mice to further delineate the underlying cellular and molecular events that result in both architectural disorganization and contractile dysfunction of skeletal muscle lacking Bpag1.

Selected publications:

Boudreau-Larivière, C. and Kothary, R. 2002. Differentiation potential of primary myogenic cells derived from skeletal muscle of dystonia musculorum mice. Differentiation, 70: 247-256.

Boudreau-Larivière, C., Chan, R.Y.Y., and Jasmin, B.J. 2000. Molecular mechanisms underlying the activity-linked alterations in acetylcholinesterase mRNAs in developing versus adult rat skeletal muscles, J. Neurochem., 74:2250-2258.

Boudreau-Larivière, C., Parry, D.J., and Jasmin, B.J. 2000. Myotubes originating from single fast and slow satellite cells display similar patterns of AChE expression. Am. J. Physiol. (Reg. Int. Comp. Physiol.), 278:R140-R148.

Chan, R.Y.Y., Boudreau-Larivière, C., Angus, L., Mankal, F.A., and Jasmin, B.J. 1999. An intronic enhancer containing an N-box motif is required for synapse- and tissue-specific expression of the acetylcholinesterase gene in skeletal muscle fibers. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 96:4627-4632.

Boudreau-Larivière, C. and Jasmin, B. J. 1999. CGRP decreases expression of acetylcholinesterase in mammalian myotubes. FEBS Lett., 444:22-26.

Boudreau-Larivière, C., Gisiger, V., Michel, R.N., Hubatsch, D. A., and Jasmin, B .J. 1997. Fast and slow skeletal muscle express a common basic profile of acetylcholinesterase molecular forms. Am. J. Physiol. (Cell Physiol.), 272:C68-C76.

Boudreau-Larivière, C., Sveistrup, H., Parry, D., and Jasmin, B. J. 1996. Ciliary neurotrophic factor: regulation of acetylcholinesterase in rat skeletal muscle and distribution of messenger RNA encoding its receptor in synaptic versus extrasynaptic compartments. Neurosci., 73: 613-622.