Desmoplakin

Protein found in humans


title: "Desmoplakin" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["plakins"] description: "Protein found in humans" topic_path: "general/plakins" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmoplakin" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Protein found in humans ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Desmosome_-_2.png" caption="Cell adhesion in desmosomes"] ::

Desmoplakin is a protein in humans that is encoded by the DSP gene. Desmoplakin is a critical component of desmosome structures in cardiac muscle and epidermal cells, which function to maintain the structural integrity at adjacent cell contacts. In cardiac muscle, desmoplakin is localized to intercalated discs which mechanically couple cardiac cells to function in a coordinated syncytial structure. Mutations in desmoplakin have been shown to play a role in dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, where it may present with acute myocardial injury; striate palmoplantar keratoderma, Carvajal syndrome and paraneoplastic pemphigus.

Structure

Desmoplakin exists as two predominant isoforms; the first, known as "DPII", has molecular weight 260.0 kDa (2272 amino acids) and the second, known as "DPI", has molecular weight 332.0 kDa (2871 amino acids). These isoforms are identical except for the shorter rod domain in DPII. DPI is the predominant isoform expressed in cardiac muscle. The DSP gene is located on chromosome 6p24.3, containing 24 exons and spanning approximately 45 kDa of genomic DNA. Desmoplakin is a large desmosomal plaque protein that homodimerizes and adopts a dumbbell-shaped conformation. The N-terminal globular head domain of desmoplakin is composed of a series of alpha helical bundles, and is required for both the localization to the desmosome and interaction with the N-terminal region of plakophilin 1 and plakoglobin as well as desmocollin and desmoglein. This is further sub divided into a region called the "Plakin domain" made up of six spectrin repeat domains separated by SH3 domain. A crystal structure of part of the plakin domain has been resolved, while the entire plakin domain has been elucidated using small angle X-ray scattering which revealed a non-linear structure, an unexpected result considering spectrin repeats are observed in linear orientations. The C-terminal region of desmoplakin is composed of three plakin repeat domains, termed A, B and C, which are essential for coalignment and binding of intermediate filaments. Located at the most distal C-terminus of desmoplakin is a region rich in glycineserinearginine; it has been demonstrated that serine phosphorylation of this domain may modify desmoplakin-intermediate filament interactions. In the mid-region of desmoplakin, a coiled-coil rod domain is responsible for homodimerization.

Function

Desmosomes are intercellular junctions that tightly link adjacent cells. Desmoplakin is an obligate component of functional desmosomes that anchors intermediate filaments to desmosomal plaques. In cardiomyocytes, desmoplakin forms desmosomal plaques with the intermediate filament desmin, whereas in endothelial cells cytokeratin type intermediate filaments are recruited, and vimentin in arachnoid and follicular dendritic cell types. Both types of intermediate filaments attach in a lateral fashion to desmoplakin to form the plaque. In cardiac muscle, desmoplakin is localized to desmosomes in intercalated discs. Desmoplakin isoform DPI is highly expressed and is thought to play a role in both the assembly and stabilization of desmosomes; its role is critical, as desmoplakin knockout mice display embryonic lethality. In mice overexpressing a C-terminal mutated desmoplakin protein, desmoplakin binding to desmin is disrupted in cardiac muscle and hearts display abnormal intercalated disc formation and structure. Much has been learned regarding desmoplakin function from mutations in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, where mutations in specific binding domains alter desmoplakin binding to plakoglobin or desmin and result in cell death and dysfunction.

Clinical significance

Mutations in this gene are the cause of several cardiomyopathies, including dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. The presence of pathogenic mutations in this gene has been associated with episodes of acute myocardial injury, which may mimic episodes of myocarditis. Mutations in DSP have also been associated with striate palmoplantar keratoderma. Carvajal syndrome results from an autosomal recessive mutation of a frameshift (7901delG) in DSP that results in a combination of above conditions, including dilated cardiomyopathy, keratoderma and woolly hair. Patients with Carvajal syndrome often suffer from heart failure in teenage years. A case of compound heterozygosity for two DSP nonsense mutations resulting in lethal acantholytic epidermolysis bullosa has been reported. Autoantibodies to DSP are a hallmark of the autoimmune disease paraneoplastic pemphigus. Decreased desmoplakin expression has been found in patients with oropharyngeal cancer and breast cancer, which may alter cell-cell adhesion properties and propagate metastasis.

Interactions

Desmoplakin has been shown to interact with:

References

References

  1. (October 1991). "Chromosomal assignment of the human genes coding for the major proteins of the desmosome junction, desmoglein DGI (DSG), desmocollins DGII/III (DSC), desmoplakins DPI/II (DSP), and plakoglobin DPIII (JUP)". Genomics.
  2. "Entrez Gene: DSP desmoplakin".
  3. (August 1996). "Breaking the connection: displacement of the desmosomal plaque protein desmoplakin from cell-cell interfaces disrupts anchorage of intermediate filament bundles and alters intercellular junction assembly". J. Cell Biol..
  4. (2022). "Desmoplakin cardiomyopathy—an inherited cardiomyopathy presenting with recurrent episodes of acute myocardial injury". Neth Heart J.
  5. (2021). "Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy presenting as clinical myocarditis in women.". Am J Cardiol.
  6. "Protein sequence of human desmoplakin (Uniprot ID: P15924)".
  7. "Protein sequence of human desmoplakin (Uniprot ID: P15924-2)".
  8. (Nov 2013). "Mechanistic basis of desmosome-targeted diseases". Journal of Molecular Biology.
  9. (Feb 1990). "Structure of the human desmoplakins. Implications for function in the desmosomal plaque". The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
  10. (1998). "Defining the interactions between intermediate filaments and desmosomes". J. Cell Biol..
  11. (Feb 2007). "Structural analysis of the plakin domain of bullous pemphigoid antigen1 (BPAG1) suggests that plakins are members of the spectrin superfamily". Journal of Molecular Biology.
  12. (2011). "Crystal structure of a rigid four-spectrin-repeat fragment of the human desmoplakin plakin domain". J. Mol. Biol..
  13. (2011). "The nonlinear structure of the desmoplakin plakin domain and the effects of cardiomyopathy-linked mutations". J. Mol. Biol..
  14. (Aug 2002). "Structures of two intermediate filament-binding fragments of desmoplakin reveal a unique repeat motif structure". Nature Structural Biology.
  15. (Nov 1993). "Functional analysis of desmoplakin domains: specification of the interaction with keratin versus vimentin intermediate filament networks". The Journal of Cell Biology.
  16. (Nov 1994). "Phosphorylation of the desmoplakin COOH terminus negatively regulates its interaction with keratin intermediate filament networks". The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
  17. (Mar 2008). "Desmosome structure, composition and function". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes.
  18. (Mar 1984). "Attachment of vimentin filaments to desmosomal plaques in human meningiomal cells and arachnoidal tissue". The Journal of Cell Biology.
  19. (1983). "Specific attachment of desmin filaments to desmosomal plaques in cardiac myocytes". The EMBO Journal.
  20. (Dec 1998). "Desmoplakin is required early in development for assembly of desmosomes and cytoskeletal linkage". The Journal of Cell Biology.
  21. (Sep 2006). "Desmosomal dysfunction due to mutations in desmoplakin causes arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy". Circulation Research.
  22. (May 2008). "Mechanisms of disease: molecular genetics of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy". Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine.
  23. (Nov 2000). "Recessive mutation in desmoplakin disrupts desmoplakin-intermediate filament interactions and causes dilated cardiomyopathy, woolly hair and keratoderma". Human Molecular Genetics.
  24. (Sep 1998). "Epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma with woolly hair and dilated cardiomyopathy". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
  25. (Nov 2002). "Mutation in human desmoplakin domain binding to plakoglobin causes a dominant form of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy". American Journal of Human Genetics.
  26. (Jul 2003). "A recessive mutation in desmoplakin causes arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, skin disorder, and woolly hair". Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
  27. (Feb 2006). "Loss of desmoplakin isoform I causes early onset cardiomyopathy and heart failure in a Naxos-like syndrome". Journal of Medical Genetics.
  28. (Sep 2009). "A genetic variants database for arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy". Human Mutation.
  29. (2022). "Desmoplakin cardiomyopathy—an inherited cardiomyopathy presenting with recurrent episodes of acute myocardial injury". Neth Heart J.
  30. (2021). "Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy presenting as clinical myocarditis in women.". Am J Cardiol.
  31. (Jan 1999). "Haploinsufficiency of desmoplakin causes a striate subtype of palmoplantar keratoderma". Human Molecular Genetics.
  32. (Dec 1999). "Striate palmoplantar keratoderma resulting from desmoplakin haploinsufficiency". The Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
  33. (Feb 2002). "Compound heterozygosity for non-sense and mis-sense mutations in desmoplakin underlies skin fragility/woolly hair syndrome". The Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
  34. (Sep 1998). "Epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma with woolly hair and dilated cardiomyopathy". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
  35. (Oct 2005). "Loss of desmoplakin tail causes lethal acantholytic epidermolysis bullosa". American Journal of Human Genetics.
  36. (Jan 2010). "Lethal acantholytic epidermolysis bullosa". Dermatologic Clinics.
  37. (Dec 1990). "Paraneoplastic pemphigus. An autoimmune mucocutaneous disease associated with neoplasia". The New England Journal of Medicine.
  38. (Jun 1992). "Human autoantibodies against desmoplakins in paraneoplastic pemphigus". The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
  39. (Sep 2009). "Altered desmoplakin expression at transcriptional and protein levels provides prognostic information in human oropharyngeal cancer". Human Pathology.
  40. (2004). "Epidermal growth factor suppresses induction by progestin of the adhesion protein desmoplakin in T47D breast cancer cells". Breast Cancer Research.
  41. (July 2000). "Interaction of plakophilins with desmoplakin and intermediate filament proteins: an in vitro analysis". J. Cell Sci..
  42. (March 2002). "Protein binding and functional characterization of plakophilin 2. Evidence for its diverse roles in desmosomes and beta -catenin signaling". J. Biol. Chem..
  43. (October 1998). "VE-cadherin and desmoplakin are assembled into dermal microvascular endothelial intercellular junctions: a pivotal role for plakoglobin in the recruitment of desmoplakin to intercellular junctions". J. Cell Sci..
  44. (November 1997). "The amino-terminal domain of desmoplakin binds to plakoglobin and clusters desmosomal cadherin-plakoglobin complexes". J. Cell Biol..
  45. (August 1997). "Two-hybrid analysis reveals fundamental differences in direct interactions between desmoplakin and cell type-specific intermediate filaments". J. Biol. Chem..

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plakins