Plakoglobin but Not Desmoplakin Regulates Keratinocyte Cohesion via Modulation of p38MAPK Signaling  Volker Spindler, Carina Dehner, Stefan Hübner, Jens Waschke  Journal of Investigative Dermatology  Volume 134, Issue 6, Pages 1655-1664 (June 2014) DOI: 10.1038/jid.2014.21 Copyright © 2014 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Pemphigus autoantibodies disrupted the distribution of plakoglobin (Pg). (a) A 24-hour incubation of AK23 or pemphigus vulgaris (PV)-IgG reduced cell cohesion as detected by dispase-based dissociation assays. n=7, *P<0.05 versus control. (b) AK23 and PV-IgG disrupted the linear staining of Pg at the membrane and, minor pronounced, of desmoplakin (DP). Bar=20 μm. Panel shows representative images from three independent experiments. (c) Immunoblots of whole-cell lysates demonstrate that AK23 and PV-IgG reduce Pg and desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) protein content, but not that of DP (n=5, *P<0.05 vs. phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)). GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2014 134, 1655-1664DOI: (10.1038/jid.2014.21) Copyright © 2014 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions

Figure 2 Silencing of plakoglobin (Pg) induced loss of cell cohesion and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) activation. (a) Silencing of either Pg (siPg) or desmoplakin (siDP) reduced intercellular adhesion as detected by dispase-based dissociation assays. n=6, *P<0.05 versus nontarget siRNA (siNT) phosphate-buffered saline (PBS); #P<0.05. (b) Silencing of Pg but not of DP led to increased p38MAPK phosphorylation detected by western blots of whole-cell lysates. n=4, *P<0.05 versus siNT. (c) A 30-minute AK23 or pemphigus vulgaris (PV)-IgG treatment did not further increase p38MAPK activation induced by Pg silencing as indicated by immunoblots of whole-cell lysates. n=3, *P<0.05 versus siNT. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2014 134, 1655-1664DOI: (10.1038/jid.2014.21) Copyright © 2014 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions

Figure 3 Loss of cell cohesion and keratin filament retraction induced by plakoglobin (Pg) silencing was blocked by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) inhibition. (a) Cell dissociation by Pg depletion (siPg) was blocked by the p38MAPK-specific inhibitor SB202190, whereas p38MAPK inhibition had no effect in desmoplakin (siDP)-depleted cells. SB202190 blocked the effect of AK23 independent of Pg and DP expression state. n=6, *P<0.05. (b) Pg silencing (siPg) induced keratin filament retraction (arrows), which was prevented by SB202190 (arrowheads). Bar=20 μm. Panel shows representative images from three independent experiments. (c) Knockdown of DP (siDP) did not induce pronounced keratin filament collapse (arrows) and SB202190 had no effect (arrowheads). Bar=20 μm. Panel shows representative images from three independent experiments. siNT, nontarget siRNA. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2014 134, 1655-1664DOI: (10.1038/jid.2014.21) Copyright © 2014 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions

Figure 4 Extranuclear plakoglobin (Pg) ameliorated autoantibody-induced cell dissociation, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) activation, and keratin filament retraction. (a) Expression of a Pg mutant with predominant localization in the nucleus (nuclear localization sequence (NLS)-Pg) was sufficient to disrupt HaCaT monolayer integrity. In contrast, extranuclear Pg (nuclear export sequence (NES)-Pg) or wild-type Pg (Pg-WT) reduced AK23-mediated cell dissociation. n=10, *P<0.05 versus respective phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) condition; #P<0.05 versus green fluorescent protein (GFP) AK23, §P<0.05. (b) Expression of Pg-WT or NES-Pg reduced the amount of active p38MAPK as detected by immunoblots of whole-cell lysates. n=5, *P<0.05 versus GFP. (c) Under conditions of Pg depletion via small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting of the 3′UTR, keratin retraction was evident, which was still present in GFP- or NLS-Pg-expressing cells (arrows in first and third line). In contrast, in cells expressing Pg-WT and NES-Pg, keratin filament retraction was reduced (arrowheads in second and fourth line). Bar=10 μm. Panel shows representative images from three independent experiments. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2014 134, 1655-1664DOI: (10.1038/jid.2014.21) Copyright © 2014 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions

Figure 5 Extranuclear plakoglobin (Pg) blocked desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) depletion by pemphigus autoantibodies and tethered p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) to the desmosome. (a) Expression of nuclear export sequence (NES)-Pg prevented Dsg3 depletion induced by pemphigus vulgaris (PV)-IgG in both the cytoskeleton-bound (Triton X-100 insoluble) and membrane/cytosol (Triton X-100 soluble) pools after 1 hour. n=5, *P<0.05 versus respective phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) green fluorescent protein (GFP) condition; #P<0.05. (b) Immunoprecipitation (IP) of desmoplakin (DP) from whole-cell lysates revealed that p38MAPK and phospho-p38MAPK form a complex with DP and Pg. Silencing of Pg by shRNA (shPg) reduced the amount of p38MAPK and phospho-p38MAPK present in this complex. n=4, *P<0.05 versus non-target shRNA (shNT). (c) p38MAPK activation was detectable after 1 hour of PV-IgG incubation in the non-cytoskeletal fraction. n=4, *P<0.05 versus respective phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) condition. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2014 134, 1655-1664DOI: (10.1038/jid.2014.21) Copyright © 2014 The Society for Investigative Dermatology, Inc Terms and Conditions