biology

Prickle (protein)

Prickle (protein) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Prickle (protein) rather than just read about it. In short: Prickle is also known as REST/NRSF-interacting LIM domain protein, which is a putative nuclear translocation receptor. Prickle is part of the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway that establishes planar cell polarity.

Key takeaways

Prickle (protein) belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Prickle (protein) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Prickle (protein) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Prickle is also known as REST/NRSF-interacting LIM domain protein, which is a putative nuclear translocation receptor. Prickle is part of the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway that establishes planar cell polarity. A gain or loss of function of Prickle1 causes defects in the convergent extension movements of gastrulation. In epithelial cells, Prickle2 establishes and maintains cell apical/basal polarity. Prickle1 plays an important role in the development of the nervous system by regulating the movement of nerve cells. The first prickle protein was identified in Drosophila as a planar cell polarity protein. Vertebrate prickle-1 was first found as a rat protein that binds to a transcription factor, neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF). It was then recognized that other vertebrates including mice and humans have two genes that are related to Drosophila prickle. Mouse prickle-2 was found to be expressed in mature neurons of the brain along with mouse homologs of Drosophila planar polarity genes flamingo and dischevelled. Prickle interacts with flamingo to regulate sensory axon advance at the transition between the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system. Also, Prickle1 interacts with RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST) by transporting REST out of the nucleus. REST turns off several critical genes in neurons by binding to particular regions of DNA in the nucleus.

Prickle is recruited to the cell surface membrane by strabismus, another planar cell polarity protein. In the developing Drosophila wing, prickle becomes concentrated at the proximal side of cells. Prickle can compete with the ankyrin-repeat protein Diego for a binding site on Dishevelled. In Drosophila, prickle is present inside cells in multiple forms due to alternative splicing of the prickle mRNA. The relative levels of the alternate forms may be regulated and involved in the normal control of planar cell polarity. Mutations in Prickle genes can cause epilepsy in humans by perturbing Prickle function. One mutation in Prickle1 gene can result in Prickle1-Related Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy-Ataxia Syndrome. This mutation disrupts the interaction between prickle-like 1 and REST, which results in the inability to suppress REST. Gene knockdown of Prickle1 by shRNA or dominant-negative constructs results in decreased axonal and dendritic extension in neurons in the hippocampus. Prickle1 gene knockdown in neonatal retina causes defects in axon terminals of photoreceptors and in inner and outer segments.

References

External links GeneReview/NCBI/NIH/UW entry on Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy with Ataxia

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prickle (protein)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prickle (protein) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prickle (protein) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prickle (protein) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prickle (protein)

In research: Prickle (protein) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Prickle (protein) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Prickle (protein) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Signal transduction, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Prickle (protein) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Prickle (protein) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Prickle (protein) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Prickle (protein) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prickle (protein) in simple terms?

Why does Prickle (protein) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prickle (protein)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prickle (protein).