Structure and functions of profilins

Title
Structure and functions of profilins
Publication Date
2009
Author(s)
Krishnan, Kannan
Moens, Pierre
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3121-5306
Email: pmoens@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:pmoens
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Springer
Place of publication
Germany
DOI
10.1007/s12551-009-0010-y
UNE publication id
une:6355
Abstract
Profilins are small actin-binding proteins found in eukaryotes and certain viruses that are involved in cell development, cytokinesis, membrane trafficking, and cell motility. Originally identified as an actin sequestering/ binding protein, profilin has been involved in actin polymerization dynamics. It catalyzes the exchange of ADP/ATP in actin and increases the rate of polymerization. Profilins also interact with polyphosphoinositides (PPI) and proline-rich domains containing proteins. Through its interaction with PPIs, profilin has been linked to signaling pathways between the cell membrane and the cytoskeleton, while its role in membrane trafficking has been associated with its interaction with proline-rich domain-containing proteins. Depending on the organism, profilin is present in a various number of isoforms. Four isoforms of profilin have been reported in higher organisms, while only one or two isoforms are expressed in single-cell organisms. The affinity of these isoforms for their ligands varies between isoforms and should therefore modulate their functions. However, the significance and the functions of the different isoforms are not yet fully understood. The structures of many profilin isoforms have been solved both in the presence and the absence of actin and poly-L-proline. These structural studies will greatly improve our understanding of the differences and similarities between the different profilins. Structural stability studies of different profilins are also shedding some light on our understanding of the profilin/ligand interactions. Profilin is a multifaceted protein for which a dramatic increase in potential functions has been found in recent years; as such, it has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological processes.
Link
Citation
Biophysical Reviews, 1(2), p. 71-81
ISSN
1867-2469
1867-2450
Start page
71
End page
81

Files:

NameSizeformatDescriptionLink