Elke Vermeiren

Publications (2)25.6 Total impact

• Article: Syndecan-syntenin-ALIX regulates the biogenesis of exosomes.

  Maria Francesca Baietti, Zhe Zhang, Eva Mortier, Aurélie Melchior, Gisèle Degeest, Annelies Geeraerts, Ylva Ivarsson, Fabienne Depoortere, Christien Coomans, Elke Vermeiren, Pascale Zimmermann, Guido David
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  ABSTRACT: The biogenesis of exosomes, small secreted vesicles involved in signalling processes, remains incompletely understood. Here, we report evidence that the syndecan heparan sulphate proteoglycans and their cytoplasmic adaptor syntenin control the formation of exosomes. Syntenin interacts directly with ALIX through LYPX(n)L motifs, similarly to retroviral proteins, and supports the intraluminal budding of endosomal membranes. Syntenin exosomes depend on the availability of heparan sulphate, syndecans, ALIX and ESCRTs, and impact on the trafficking and confinement of FGF signals. This study identifies a key role for syndecan-syntenin-ALIX in membrane transport and signalling processes.
  Nature Cell Biology 06/2012; 14(7):677-85. · 19.49 Impact Factor
• Article: Syntenin, a syndecan adaptor and an Arf6 phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate effector, is essential for epiboly and gastrulation cell movements in zebrafish.

  Kathleen Lambaerts, Stijn Van Dyck, Eva Mortier, Ylva Ivarsson, Gisèle Degeest, Annouck Luyten, Elke Vermeiren, Bernard Peers, Guido David, Pascale Zimmermann
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  ABSTRACT: Epiboly, the spreading and the thinning of the blastoderm to cover the yolk cell and close the blastopore in fish embryos, is central to the process of gastrulation. Despite its fundamental importance, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that control this coordinated cell movement. By a combination of knockdown studies and rescue experiments in zebrafish (Danio rerio), we show that epiboly relies on the molecular networking of syntenin with syndecan heparan sulphate proteoglycans, which act as co-receptors for adhesion molecules and growth factors. Furthermore, we show that the interaction of syntenin with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and with the small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6), which regulate the endocytic recycling of syndecan, is necessary for epiboly progression. Analysis of the earliest cellular defects suggests a role for syntenin in the autonomous vegetal expansion of the yolk syncytial layer and the rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton in extra-embryonic tissues, but not in embryonic cell fate determination. This study identifies the importance of the syntenin-syndecan-PIP2-Arf6 complex for the progression of fish epiboly and establishes its key role in directional cell movements during early development.
  Journal of Cell Science 03/2012; 125(Pt 5):1129-40. · 6.11 Impact Factor