LAMC3

Laminin, gamma 3
Identifiers
Symbols LAMC3 ; OCCM
External IDs OMIM: 604349 MGI: 1344394 HomoloGene: 21222 GeneCards: LAMC3 Gene
Orthologs
Species Human Mouse
Entrez 10319 23928
Ensembl ENSG00000050555 ENSMUSG00000026840
UniProt Q9Y6N6 Q9R0B6
RefSeq (mRNA) NM_006059 NM_011836
RefSeq (protein) NP_006050 NP_035966
Location (UCSC) Chr 9:
131.01 – 131.09 Mb
Chr 2:
31.89 – 31.95 Mb
PubMed search

Laminin subunit gamma-3 also known as LAMC3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LAMC3 gene.[1][2]

Function

Laminins, a family of extracellular matrix glycoproteins, are the major noncollagenous constituent of basement membranes. They have been implicated in a wide variety of biological processes including cell adhesion, differentiation, migration, signaling, neurite outgrowth and metastasis. Laminins are composed of 3 non identical chains: laminin alpha, beta and gamma (formerly A, B1, and B2, respectively) and they form a cruciform structure consisting of 3 short arms, each formed by a different chain, and a long arm composed of all 3 chains. Each laminin chain is a multidomain protein encoded by a distinct gene. Several isoforms of each chain have been described. Different alpha, beta and gamma chain isomers combine to give rise to different heterotrimeric laminin isoforms which are designated by Arabic numerals in the order of their discovery, i.e. alpha1beta1gamma1 heterotrimer is laminin 1.

The biological functions of the different chains and trimer molecules are largely unknown, but some of the chains have been shown to differ with respect to their tissue distribution, presumably reflecting diverse functions in vivo. This gene encodes the gamma chain isoform laminin, gamma 3. The gamma 3 chain is most similar to the gamma 1 chain, and contains all the 6 domains expected of the gamma chain. It is a component of laminin 12. The gamma 3 chain is broadly expressed in skin, heart, lung, and the reproductive tracts. In skin, it is seen within the basement membrane of the dermoepidermal junction at points of nerve penetration. However, it was also found that the gamma 3 is a prominent element of the apical surface of ciliated epithelial cells of lung, oviduct, epididymis, ductus deferens, and seminiferous tubules. The distribution of gamma 3-containing laminins along ciliated epithelial surfaces suggests that the apical laminins are important in the morphogenesis and structural stability of the ciliated processes of these cells.[2]

A recent study found that LAMC3 plays a critical role in forming the convolution of the cerebral cortex. Particularly LAMC3 is expressed during the embryonic period, which contributes the formation of dentrites. [3]

References

  1. Koch M, Olson PF, Albus A, Jin W, Hunter DD, Brunken WJ, Burgeson RE, Champliaud MF (May 1999). "Characterization and Expression of the Laminin γ3 Chain: A Novel, Non-Basement Membrane–associated, Laminin Chain". J. Cell Biol. 145 (3): 605–18. doi:10.1083/jcb.145.3.605. PMC 2185082. PMID 10225960.
  2. 1 2 "Entrez Gene: LAMC3 Laminin, gamma 3".
  3. Nature Genetics 2011; DOI: 10.1038/ng.836

Further reading

External links

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, September 01, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.