LIM domain binding 3 (LDB3), also known as Z-band alternatively spliced PDZ-motif (ZASP), is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...
which in humans is encoded by the ''LDB3''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
ZASP belongs to the Enigma subfamily of proteins and stabilizes the
sarcomere
A sarcomere (Greek σάρξ ''sarx'' "flesh", μέρος ''meros'' "part") is the smallest functional unit of striated muscle tissue. It is the repeating unit between two Z-lines. Skeletal muscles are composed of tubular muscle cells (called mus ...
(the basic units of muscles) during contraction, through interactions with
actin
Actin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that form microfilaments in the cytoskeleton, and the thin filaments in muscle fibrils. It is found in essentially all eukaryotic cells, where it may be present at a concentration of ov ...
in
cardiac
The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
and
skeletal muscles. Mutations in the ZASP gene has been associated with several
muscular diseases.
Structure
ZASP is a
PDZ domain
The PDZ domain is a common structural domain of 80-90 amino-acids found in the signaling proteins of bacteria, yeast, plants, viruses and animals. Proteins containing PDZ domains play a key role in anchoring receptor proteins in the membrane to ...
-containing protein. PDZ motifs are modular protein-protein interaction domains consisting of 80-120 amino acid residues. PDZ domain-containing proteins interact with each other in
cytoskeletal
The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. In eukaryotes, it extends from the cell nucleus to the cell membrane and is compo ...
assembly or with other proteins involved in targeting and clustering of membrane proteins. ZASP interacts with alpha-
actinin
Actinin is a microfilament protein. Alpha-actinin-1 is necessary for the attachment of actin myofilaments to the Z-lines in skeletal muscle cells, and to the dense bodies in smooth muscle cells. The functional protein is an anti-parallel dimer, ...
-2 through its
N-terminal PDZ domain and with
protein kinase C via its
C-terminal
The C-terminus (also known as the carboxyl-terminus, carboxy-terminus, C-terminal tail, C-terminal end, or COOH-terminus) is the end of an amino acid chain (protein or polypeptide), terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is ...
LIM domain
LIM domains are protein structural domains, composed of two contiguous zinc fingers, separated by a two-amino acid residue hydrophobic linker. The domain name is an acronym of the three genes in which it was first identified (LIN-11, Isl-1 and ...
s. The LIM domain is a
cysteine-rich motif defined by 50-60 amino acids containing two zinc-binding modules. This protein also interacts with all three members of the
myozenin family.
Human ZASP can exist in cardiac and skeletal cells as six distinct isoforms, based on alternative splicing of 16 exons.
There are 2 ZASP short forms (Uniprot ID: O75112-6, 31.0 kDa, 283 amino acids; and Uniprot ID: O75112-5, 35.6 kDa, 330 amino acids); and 4 ZASP long forms (Uniprot ID: O75112-4, 42.8 kDa, 398 amino acids; Uniprot ID: O75112-3, 50.6 kDa, 470 amino acids; Uniprot ID: O75112-2, 66.6 kDa, 617 amino acids; and Uniprot ID: O75112, 77.1 kDa, 727 amino acids). All ZASP isoforms have an N-terminal
PDZ domain
The PDZ domain is a common structural domain of 80-90 amino-acids found in the signaling proteins of bacteria, yeast, plants, viruses and animals. Proteins containing PDZ domains play a key role in anchoring receptor proteins in the membrane to ...
; internal, conserved sequences known as ZASP-like motifs (ZMs); and the four long isoforms have three
C-terminal
The C-terminus (also known as the carboxyl-terminus, carboxy-terminus, C-terminal tail, C-terminal end, or COOH-terminus) is the end of an amino acid chain (protein or polypeptide), terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is ...
LIM domain
LIM domains are protein structural domains, composed of two contiguous zinc fingers, separated by a two-amino acid residue hydrophobic linker. The domain name is an acronym of the three genes in which it was first identified (LIN-11, Isl-1 and ...
s.
Function
ZASP functions to maintain structural integrity of sarcomeres during contraction, and has been shown to be involved in
protein kinase A
In cell biology, protein kinase A (PKA) is a family of enzymes whose activity is dependent on cellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP). PKA is also known as cAMP-dependent protein kinase (). PKA has several functions in the cell, including regulatio ...
signaling.
ZASP has also been shown to co-activate α5β1 integrins along with the protein
TLN1
Talin-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TLN1'' gene. Talin-1 is ubiquitously expressed, and is localized to costamere structures in cardiac and skeletal muscle cells, and to focal adhesions in smooth muscle and non-muscle cells. Tal ...
.
Clinical significance
Mutations in ZASP have been associated with
myofibril
A myofibril (also known as a muscle fibril or sarcostyle) is a basic rod-like organelle of a muscle cell. Skeletal muscles are composed of long, tubular cells known as muscle fibers, and these cells contain many chains of myofibrils. Each myo ...
lar
myopathy,
dilated cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively. Symptoms vary from none to feeling tired, leg swelling, and shortness of breath. It may also result in chest pain or fainting. Co ...
,
arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), or arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), most commonly is an inherited heart disease.
ACM is caused by genetic defects of the parts of hea ...
,
noncompaction cardiomyopathy,
and
muscular dystrophy.
Interactions
The
PDZ domain
The PDZ domain is a common structural domain of 80-90 amino-acids found in the signaling proteins of bacteria, yeast, plants, viruses and animals. Proteins containing PDZ domains play a key role in anchoring receptor proteins in the membrane to ...
of ZASP binds the
C-terminus of
alpha actinin-2 and ZMs bind the rod domain of
alpha actinin-2. The
LIM domain
LIM domains are protein structural domains, composed of two contiguous zinc fingers, separated by a two-amino acid residue hydrophobic linker. The domain name is an acronym of the three genes in which it was first identified (LIN-11, Isl-1 and ...
s have been shown to interact with
protein kinase C.
The cardiac-specific region of ZASP encoded by exon 4 includes a ZP motif and binds a regulatory subunit of
protein kinase A
In cell biology, protein kinase A (PKA) is a family of enzymes whose activity is dependent on cellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP). PKA is also known as cAMP-dependent protein kinase (). PKA has several functions in the cell, including regulatio ...
.
See also
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Dilated cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively. Symptoms vary from none to feeling tired, leg swelling, and shortness of breath. It may also result in chest pain or fainting. Co ...
*
Noncompaction cardiomyopathy
References
Further reading
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External links
GeneReviews/NIH/NCBI/UW entry on Myofibrillar Myopathy*
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