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Kindlin1 regulates microtubule function to ensure normal mitosis
Hitesh Patel1,*, Ifigeneia Stavrou1, Roshan L. Shrestha2, Viji Draviam2,3, Margaret C. Frame1, and Valerie G. Brunton1,*
1Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics & Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XR, UK
2Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
3Present address: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, E11 4NS, UK *Correspondence to:Valerie G. Brunton, E-mail: v.brunton@ed.ac.uk; Hitesh Patel, E-mail: h.patel@ed.ac.uk
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2016, 338-348,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjw009
Keyword: Kindlin1 HDAC6 Plk1 microtubules mitosis

Loss of Kindlin 1 (Kin1) results in the skin blistering disorder Kindler Syndrome (KS), whose symptoms also include skin atrophy and reduced keratinocyte proliferation. Kin1 binds to integrins to modulate their activation and more recently it has been shown to regulate mitotic spindles and cell survival in a Plk1-dependent manner. Here we report that short-term Kin1 deletion in mouse skin results in impaired mitosis, which is associated with reduced acetylated tubulin (ac-tub) levels and cell proliferation. In cells, impaired mitosis and reduced ac-tub levels are also accompanied by reduced microtubule stability, all of which are rescued by HDAC6 inhibition. The ability of Kin1 to regulate HDAC6-dependent cellular ac-tub levels is dependent on its phosphorylation by Plk1. Taken together, these data define a novel role for Kin1 in microtubule acetylation and stability and offer a mechanistic insight into how certain KS phenotypes, such as skin atrophy and reduced cell proliferation, arise.