1. The dark sides of capillary morphogenesis gene 2
- Author
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Andrea Superti-Furga, Ekkehart Lausch, F. Gisou van der Goot, and Julie Deuquet
- Subjects
0303 health sciences ,Mutation ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,Anthrax toxin receptor 2 ,General Neuroscience ,Anthrax toxin ,Morphogenesis ,Biology ,Actin cytoskeleton ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,Molecular biology ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,3. Good health ,Cell biology ,Bacillus anthracis ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Juvenile hyaline fibromatosis ,Molecular Biology ,Gene ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,030304 developmental biology - Abstract
Capillary morphogenesis gene 2 (CMG2) is a type I membrane protein involved in the homeostasis of the extracellular matrix. While it shares interesting similarities with integrins, its exact molecular role is unknown. The interest and knowledge about CMG2 largely stems from the fact that it is involved in two diseases, one infectious and one genetic. CMG2 is the main receptor of the anthrax toxin, and knocking out this gene in mice renders them insensitive to infection with Bacillus anthracis spores. On the other hand, mutations in CMG2 lead to a rare but severe autosomal recessive disorder in humans called Hyaline Fibromatosis Syndrome (HFS). We will here review what is known about the structure of CMG2 and its ability to mediate anthrax toxin entry into cell. We will then describe the limited knowledge available concerning the physiological role of CMG2. Finally, we will describe HFS and the consequences of HFS-associated mutations in CMG2 at the molecular and cellular level.
- Published
- 2011