Control of nuclear ß-dystroglycan content is crucial for the maintenance of nuclear envelope integrity and function

ß-dystroglycan (ß-DG) is a plasma membrane protein that has ability to target to the nuclear envelope (NE) to maintain nuclear architecture. Nevertheless, mechanisms controlling ß-DG nuclear localization and the physiological consequences of a failure of trafficking are largely unknown. We show that ß-DG has a nuclear export pathway in myoblasts that depends on the recognition of a nuclear export signal located in its transmembrane domain, by CRM1. Remarkably, NES mutations forced ß-DG nuclear accumulation resulting in mislocalization and decreased levels of emerin and lamin B1 and disruption of various nuclear processes in which emerin (centrosome-nucleus linkage and ß-catenin transcriptional activity) and lamin B1 (cell cycle progression and nucleoli structure) are critically involved. In addition to nuclear export, the lifespan of nuclear ß-DG is restricted by its nuclear proteasomal degradation. Collectively our data show that control of nuclear ß-DG content by the combination of CRM1 nuclear export and nuclear proteasome pathways is physiologically relevant to preserve proper NE structure and activity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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