| 2017 |
UNC-45A functions as a myosin chaperone required for proper folding of non-muscle myosin II (NM-II) heavy chains in vivo. Knockout cells show large fractions of NM-II and myosin-1c failing to fold, and the remaining folded NM-II fails to form functional bipolar filaments. The C-terminal UCS domain is critical for NM-II folding, while the N-terminal TPR domain contributes to stress fiber assembly. UNC-45A knockout causes severe defects in stress fiber assembly, cell morphogenesis, polarity, and migration. |
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout, structured-illumination microscopy, gradient centrifugation, proteasome inhibition, deletion mutant analysis |
The Journal of cell biology |
High |
29055011
|
| 2015 |
UNC-45A localizes to the NK cell immunological synapse upon activation and is part of the multiprotein complex formed during NK cell activation. UNC-45A is dispensable for immunological synapse formation and lytic granule reorientation but is required for lytic granule exocytosis. Loss of UNC-45A reduces NMIIA binding to actin, indicating UNC-45A promotes actomyosin complex formation required for cytoskeletal dynamics underlying NK cell cytotoxicity. |
siRNA knockdown, immunofluorescence microscopy, co-immunoprecipitation, cytotoxicity assays, degranulation assays |
Journal of immunology |
Medium |
26438524
|
| 2018 |
UNC-45A directly binds to taxol-stabilized microtubules in vitro in the absence of any additional cellular cofactors or other MT-associated proteins, and acts as an ATP-independent microtubule destabilizer. In cells, UNC-45A binds to and destabilizes mitotic spindles; its depletion causes defects in chromosome congression and segregation. |
In vitro biophysical reconstitution, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, siRNA depletion, chromosome segregation assays |
Molecular cancer research |
High |
30322860
|
| 2021 |
UNC-45A binds to the microtubule lattice, causing MT bending, breakage, and depolymerization in vitro and in human and rat cells. This MT-destabilizing activity is independent of its C-terminal NM-II-binding domain and occurs even in the presence of the NM-II inhibitor blebbistatin, establishing UNC-45A as a novel ATP-independent MT-severing protein with activities separable from its myosin chaperone function. |
In vitro reconstitution, TIRF microscopy, domain deletion mutants, blebbistatin inhibition, cell-based MT dynamics assays |
Journal of cell science |
High |
33262310
|
| 2023 |
UNC-45A preferentially binds to curved regions of microtubules rather than straight regions. UNC-45A overexpression increases MT curvature in cells, and its depletion decreases MT curvature, independently of actomyosin contractility. UNC-45A counteracts the MT-straightening effects of paclitaxel in cells. |
In vitro biophysical reconstitution, TIRF microscopy, overexpression and depletion in cells, paclitaxel treatment |
The Journal of biological chemistry |
High |
37858676
|
| 2019 |
UNC-45A localizes to the cancer cell nucleus where it up-regulates transcriptional activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), thereby promoting expression of the mitotic kinase NEK7. UNC-45A-deficient cancer cells show pericentrosomal material disorganization, defects in centrosomal separation and mitotic chromosome alignment, metaphase arrest, cytokinesis failure, and mitotic catastrophe; these phenotypes are rescued by heterologous NEK7 expression. |
siRNA knockdown, immunofluorescence microscopy, gene microarray, RT-qPCR, transcriptional reporter assays, heterologous rescue experiments |
The Journal of biological chemistry |
Medium |
30737284
|
| 2014 |
UNC-45A localizes to centrosomes and binds to and regulates CHK1 nuclear-cytoplasmic localization in an HSP90-independent manner. UNC-45A and CHK1 co-localize at the centrosome by immunocytochemistry and biochemical fractionation. Loss of UNC-45A reduces CHK1 activation and its tethering to the centrosome, causing accumulation of multinucleated cells consistent with centrosome function defects. |
Immunocytochemistry, biochemical fractionation, co-localization, siRNA knockdown, cell cycle analysis |
Cancer letters |
Medium |
25444911
|
| 2009 |
UNC-45A inhibits signaling through retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR-alpha). Expression of UNC-45A inhibits retinoic acid-induced proliferation arrest and differentiation of human neuroblastoma cells and suppresses induction of endogenous RAR target genes. UNC-45A also confers resistance to histone deacetylase inhibitors. |
Cell-based proliferation and differentiation assays, transcriptional reporter gene assays, gain-of-function genetic screen |
Molecular cancer research |
Medium |
19843631
|
| 2011 |
UNC-45A is alternatively expressed as two isoforms differing by a 15-amino-acid proline-rich N-terminal sequence. The 944-amino-acid isoform is degraded at ~5-fold greater rate than the 929-amino-acid isoform via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. shRNA knockdown of UNC-45A in metastatic breast cancer cells decreases cell proliferation and invasion, with concomitant reduction in myosin II interaction with actin filaments. |
shRNA knockdown, cellular metabolic labeling, proteasome inhibition, invasion assays, co-immunoprecipitation |
Journal of molecular biology |
Medium |
21802425
|
| 2008 |
Loss of Unc45a in zebrafish (kurzschluss mutant, identified by positional cloning) causes failure of aortic arches 5 and 6 to form lumenized connections to the lateral dorsal aorta, leading to arteriovenous malformation. Angioblast formation and initial sprouting are normal, implicating UNC-45A specifically in lumenization/connection of aortic arch vessels rather than early angioblast specification, establishing the first in vivo vertebrate developmental role for Unc45a. |
Positional cloning, zebrafish genetic mutant analysis, live imaging, vascular morphology assays |
Developmental biology |
Medium |
18462713
|
| 2022 |
UNC-45A acts as a cochaperone for myosin VB (MYO5B). By mass spectrometry, myosin VB was identified as a client of the UNC-45A chaperone and was found misfolded in UNC45A-KO Caco-2 cells. Loss of UNC-45A causes abnormal epithelial morphogenesis, RAB11-positive recycling endosome mislocalization, apical transporter mislocalization, sparse/disorganized microvilli, and microvillus inclusions resembling microvillus inclusion disease. These defects were restored by full-length UNC-45A but not by patient mutant alleles. |
Mass spectrometry, CRISPR/Cas9 KO, 3D organoids, confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, rescue with wild-type and mutant UNC45A, zebrafish unc45a morpholino |
The Journal of clinical investigation |
High |
35575086
|
| 2022 |
UNC-45A depletion reduces myosin Vb protein expression in intestinal and hepatic cells, and disrupts two myosin Vb-dependent processes: RAB11A-positive recycling endosome positioning and microvilli development. Reintroduction of UNC-45A or myosin Vb restores these defects. The O2HE patient variant UNC45A-p.V423D impairs UNC45A protein stability but not its ability to promote myosin Vb expression when stable protein is present. |
CRISPR-Cas9 KO, site-directed mutagenesis, Western blotting, confocal fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, patient variant functional analysis |
Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology |
Medium |
35421597
|
| 2022 |
UNC-45A is required for intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. CRISPR/Cas9 KO of UNC-45A in intestinal epithelial cells disrupts barrier integrity, impairs assembly of adherens and tight junctions, and attenuates cell migration. Loss of UNC-45A disorganizes actomyosin bundles at epithelial junctions, decreases contractile forces at apical junctions and matrix adhesions. The myosin-binding domain of UNC-45A is required for its role in junctions and motility. Decreased UNC-45 expression also increases gut permeability in Drosophila in vivo. |
CRISPR/Cas9 KO, transepithelial resistance measurements, immunofluorescence, traction force microscopy, deletion mutant analysis, Drosophila in vivo model |
FASEB journal |
High |
35344227
|
| 2024 |
Myosin 1b (MYO1B) is part of the UNC-45A interactome. In the absence of UNC-45A, myosin 1b is degraded and forms aggregates when proteasome activity is inhibited, indicating UNC-45A acts as a chaperone for MYO1B. Loss of MYO1B in 3D Caco-2 cells impairs lumen formation with spindle orientation defects, Golgi fragmentation, and trafficking impairment, placing MYO1B downstream of UNC-45A in intestinal epithelial morphogenesis. |
Interactome mass spectrometry, CRISPR/Cas9 KO, proteasome inhibition, 3D organoids, zebrafish myo1b morpholino, confocal microscopy |
Cell reports |
Medium |
39636728
|
| 2025 |
The UNC45A p.Leu237Pro O2HE syndrome missense variant retains chaperone activity (prevents myosin aggregation, supports NM-II filament formation) but forms atypically stable oligomers that prevent chaperone-myosin complex dissociation, thereby inhibiting NM-II functions. This causes impaired intracellular trafficking, defective recycling, and abnormal retention of transferrin at endocytic sites. Co-expression of wild-type UNC45A attenuates pathogenic effects of the mutant by inhibiting excessive oligomer formation. |
Missense variant functional analysis in patient fibroblasts and U2OS cells, immunofluorescence, transferrin trafficking assays, oligomerization analysis, co-expression rescue |
JCI insight |
Medium |
40125554
|
| 2019 |
UNC-45A co-localizes and co-fractionates with microtubules in interphase cells independently of actin or myosin, and localizes to mitotic spindles in clinical tumor specimens. UNC-45A co-fractionates with gamma-tubulin and influences centrosomal positioning. |
Immunofluorescence, biochemical co-fractionation, immunohistochemistry of clinical specimens |
Cancer biology & therapy |
Low |
31328624
|
| 2025 |
NM2-A motor domain mutation N93K increases interaction of NM2-A with UNC-45A in stress fiber-forming cells (compared to wild type), and in megakaryocytes the N93K mutant forms large aggregates that co-contain wild-type NM2-A and UNC-45A, whereas the tail mutation E1841K forms aggregates that exclude UNC-45A. This suggests UNC-45A recognizes misfolded or aggregation-prone NM-II and co-aggregates with it. |
Immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation, expression of NM2-A mutants in multiple cell types including patient-derived megakaryocytes |
bioRxivpreprint |
Low |
bio_10.1101_2025.05.20.654665
|
| 2023 |
A variant (c.-98G>T) in the 5'-untranslated region of UNC45A causes reduced UNC45A mRNA and protein expression (reproduced in a CRISPR/Cas9 cell model), and is the causative variant in Aagenaes syndrome. Liver biopsies show mislocalization of hepatobiliary transport proteins BSEP and MRP2, linking UNC45A loss to impaired hepatobiliary transport protein localization. |
Whole-genome sequencing, Western blot, PCR, CRISPR/Cas9 cell model, immunohistochemistry of liver biopsies |
Journal of hepatology |
Medium |
37328071
|