Suppressor mutations suggest a surface on PAT-4 (Integrin-linked Kinase) that interacts with UNC-112 (Kindlin).

Caenorhabditis elegans striated muscle cells attach to basement membrane and transmit the force of muscle contraction through integrin adhesion complexes. The cytoplasmic tail of β-integrin (PAT-3) is associated with a conserved four-protein complex that includes UNC-112 (kindlin), PAT-4 (integrin-linked kinase), PAT-6 (α-parvin/actopaxin), and UNC-97 (PINCH). The proper localization of UNC-112 to muscle integrin adhesion sites requires PAT-4. A recent report (Qadota, H., Moerman, D. G., and Benian, G. M. (2012) A molecular mechanism for the requirement of PAT-4 (integrin-linked kinase (ILK)) for the localization of UNC-112 (kindlin) to integrin adhesion sites. J. Biol. Chem. 287, 28537-28551) suggests a possible molecular mechanism for this requirement: that UNC-112 exists in closed inactive and open active conformations, and conversion to the open active form is promoted by binding to PAT-4 (ILK). Previously, we also reported identification of a single missense mutation in UNC-112, D382V, which abolishes both binding to PAT-4 and normal localization to integrin adhesion sites in vivo. In this report, we describe isolation and characterization of PAT-4 missense mutations that permit binding with UNC-112 D382V and place nine affected residues on a homology model of PAT-4. These nine residues cluster in two regions on the surface of PAT-4, do not overlap the likely binding surface for PAT-6 (α-parvin), and therefore may reside along the interaction surface of PAT-4 for UNC-112 (kindlin). We also show that one of these PAT-4 mutations restores the ability of UNC-112 D382V to localize to integrin adhesions and participate in complex formation.