Publications by authors named "L D Burtnick"

Gelsolin is a severing and capping protein that targets filamentous actin and regulates filament lengths near plasma membranes, contributing to cell movement and plasma membrane morphology. Gelsolin binds to the plasma membrane via phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in a state that cannot cap F-actin, and gelsolin-capped actin filaments are uncapped by PIP2 leading to filament elongation. The process by which gelsolin is removed from PIP2 at the plasma membrane is currently unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hereditary gelsolin amyloidosis is an autosomal dominantly inherited amyloid disorder. A point mutation in the GSN gene (G654A being the most common one) results in disturbed calcium binding by the second gelsolin domain (G2). As a result, the folding of G2 is hampered, rendering the mutant plasma gelsolin susceptible to a proteolytic cascade.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Resolution of inflammation reduces pathological tissue destruction and restores tissue homeostasis. Here, we used a proteomic protease substrate discovery approach, terminal amine isotopic labeling of substrates (TAILS), to analyze the role of the macrophage-specific matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP12) in inflammation. In murine peritonitis, MMP12 inactivates antithrombin and activates prothrombin, prolonging the activated partial thromboplastin time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Force is increasingly recognized as an important element in controlling biological processes. Forces can deform native protein conformations leading to protein-specific effects. Protein-protein binding affinities may be decreased, or novel protein-protein interaction sites may be revealed, on mechanically stressing one or more components.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The gelsolin homology (GH) domain has been found to date exclusively in actin-binding proteins. In humans, three copies of the domain are present in CapG, five copies in supervillin, and six copies each in adseverin, gelsolin, flightless I and the villins: villin, advillin and villin-like protein. Caenorhabditis elegans contains a four-GH-domain protein, GSNL-1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF