Maja Žugec, Borut Furlani, Maria J Castañon, Boštjan Rituper, Irmgard Fischer, Giuseppe Broggi, Rosario Caltabiano, Giuseppe M V Barbagallo, Michelino Di Rosa, Daniele Tibullo, Rosalba Parenti, Nunzio Vicario, Saša Simčič, Victorio Martin Pozo Devoto, Gorazd B Stokin, Gerhard Wiche, Jernej Jorgačevski, Robert Zorec, Maja Potokar
BACKGROUND: The expression of aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and intermediate filament (IF) proteins is altered in malignant glioblastoma (GBM), yet the expression of the major IF-based cytolinker, plectin (PLEC), and its contribution to GBM migration and invasiveness, are unknown. Here, we assessed the contribution of plectin in affecting the distribution of plasmalemmal AQP4 aggregates, migratory properties, and regulation of cell volume in astrocytes. METHODS: In human GBM, the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), AQP4 and PLEC transcripts was analyzed using publicly available datasets, and the colocalization of PLEC with AQP4 and with GFAP was determined by immunohistochemistry...
January 23, 2024: Journal of Biomedical Science