Effect Of Microtubule Disassembly On P0071 Protein Distribution In Caco-2 Cell Lines

In cancer cells, malfunctions of various signaling pathways of protein interactions lead to uncontrolled cell growth. p0071 is a protein that is a member of the p120-subfamily of armadillo proteins. It has a dual localization in both adherens junctions and in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells. While the function of p0071 in adherens junctions is known, the function of p0071 in the signaling pathways in the cytoplasm is unknown. Microtubules, proteins of the cytoskeleton, are suspected to interact with p0071 in a signaling pathway. The aim of this research is to determine the interaction between p0071 and microtubules. This was achieved by destroying the microtubule network by placing the CaCo-2 cells on ice for two hours. Immunofluorescence microscopy techniques were then performed on the treated cells for the proteins CK8-18, desmoplakin, and Cingulin as controls, and alpha tubulin and p0071 as the respective independent and dependent variables. The preliminary data indicates an accumulation of p0071 around the cell borders of some, but not all, of the treated cells, whereas the untreated cells show an even distribution of p0071 throughout. This might indicate an interaction between p0071 and microtubules, but more research is needed to confirm the results. If confirmed, the relationship will allow a better understanding of the protein interactions involved in the cancer signaling pathway