Research Article 5899 Consequences of loss of PINCH2 expression in mice Fabio Stanchi1, Randi Bordoy1, Oliver Kudlaceck1, Attila Braun1, Alexander Pfeifer2, Markus Moser1 and Reinhard Fässler1,* 1Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Medicine, 82152 Martinsried, Germany 2Department of Pharmacy, Center for Drug Research, University of Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany *Author for correspondence (e-mail:
[email protected]) Accepted 12 September 2005 Journal of Cell Science 118, 5899-5910 Published by The Company of Biologists 2005 doi:10.1242/jcs.02686 Summary PINCH2 belongs, together with PINCH1, to a new family overlapping function in vivo. To further test this possibility, of focal adhesion proteins, the members of which are we established PINCH1-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts, composed of five LIM domains. PINCH1 and PINCH2 which express neither PINCH1 nor PINCH2. We found interact, through their first LIM domain, with the integrin- that in fibroblasts with a PINCH1/2-null background, linked kinase and thereby link integrins with several signal PINCH2 is able to rescue the spreading and adhesion transduction pathways. Despite their high similarity, it has defects of mutant fibroblasts to the same extent as PINCH1. been shown that PINCH1 and PINCH2 could exert distinct Furthermore, we show that the LIM1 domain only of either functions during cell spreading and cell survival. To PINCH1 or PINCH2 can prevent ILK degradation despite investigate the function of PINCH2 in vivo, we deleted their failure to localize to focal adhesions. Altogether these PINCH2 in mouse using the loxP/Cre system. In contrast results suggest that PINCH1 and PINCH2 share to the PINCH1-deficient mice, which die at the peri- overlapping functions and operate dependently and implantation stage, PINCH2-null mice are viable, fertile independently of their subcellular localization.