University Archives

The epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, serves as a critical barrier against the outside environment. A common feature among epithelial tissues is the proper maintenance and formation of cell junctional protein complexes. Desmosomes are a type of cell-cell junctional protein complex that have been shown to interact with the COP9 signalosome (Constitutively Photomorphogenic). The desmosome-COP9 complex has been shown to downregulated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is a known signaling player in cell growth. This subsequently causes the promotion of epidermal differentiation. The mechanism by which the desmosome-COP9 complex regulate EGFR is through the removal of a protein modification called Nedd8 (de-neddylation). Upon the removal of Nedd8, EGFR is destabilized, allowing for a dampening of the growth signaling transduction pathway. While the desmosome-COP9 signalosome super-complex functions have been well defined for the maintenance of skin homeostasis, its potential role in other cytosolic regulatory pathways has not yet been explored. Previous work has lead us to question the extent to which the desmosome-COP9 signalosome can function in additional cytosolic regulator pathways. Through targeted protein analysis in a variety of epithelial cells lines, this research aims to identify and clarify the process by which the desmosome-COP9 Signalosome complex contributes to novel cell signaling