Gene Function

Gene Therapy

Posterior Pituitary Function

Tests of Pulmonary Function PFT

Bladder and bowel function

Evidence for monomeric actin function in INO80 chromatin remodeling

While the cytoplasmic functions of actin are well established, its nuclear roles remain poorly understood. Genetic and biochemical analyses of the nuclear actin-containing yeast INO80 chromatin-remode...

F- and G-actin homeostasis regulates mechanosensitive actin nucleation by formins

Watanabe and colleagues show that an increase in cytosolic G-actin levels following mechanical stress promotes Ca2+- and kinase-signalling-independent nucleation of actin filaments by formins.

Formin' cables under stress

How application of force affects actin remodelling during mechanotransduction has remained unclear. Mechanical manipulation of the cell cortex is now shown to trigger actin monomer release from filame...

Cytoskeleton: Formins induce nuclear actin assembly

Nuclear mDia promotes the assembly of a nuclear actin network that results in MAL–SRF-dependent gene expression.

Immunology: Actin' dangerously

Recognition of aberrant cell death is a crucial function of the immune system. It seems that one way in which immune cells identify damage is by sensing actin, an abundant intracellular protein.

Coordinated oscillations in cortical actin and Ca2+ correlate with cycles of vesicle secretion

The peripheral actin cortex in cells is essential for secretory vesicle exocytosis, but also acts as a barrier for vesicle release. Wollman and Meyer report that antigen activation triggers cyclical w...

Lamin A/C and emerin regulate MKL1–SRF activity by modulating actin dynamics

Laminopathies, caused by mutations in the LMNA gene encoding the nuclear envelope proteins lamins A and C, represent a diverse group of diseases that include Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD)...

miR-129-3p controls cilia assembly by regulating CP110 and actin dynamics

Ciliogenesis requires the removal of CP110 from the mother centriole, and is influenced by actin dynamics. Zhu and colleagues now show that the microRNA miR-129-3p controls primary cilia formation in...

The actin gene family: Function follows isoform.

Although actin is often thought of as a single protein, in mammals it actually consists of six different isoforms encoded by separate genes. Each isoform is remarkably similar to every other isoform,...

Actin Cytoskeleton Remodeling by the Alternatively Spliced Isoform of PDLIM4/RIL Protein.

RIL (product of PDLIM4 gene) is an actin-associated protein that has previously been shown to stimulate actin bundling by interacting with actin-cross-linking protein α-actinin-1 and increasing its a...

Prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD) 2 affects cell migration and F-actin formation via RhoA/rho-associated kinase-dependent cofilin phosphorylation.

Cells are responding to hypoxia via prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) enzymes, which are responsible for oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α subunit. To gain furth...

Mass spectrometric characterization of gelsolin isoforms.

Gelsolin is the most widely expressed member of the actin capping and severing family of proteins. There are two isoforms of gelsolin: isoform 1, a secretory (plasma) protein that is 51 amino acids lo...

Dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton by FMNL1{gamma} is required for structural maintenance of the Golgi complex.

Formin-like 1 (FMNL1) is a member of the formin family of actin nucleators, and is one of the few formins for which in vitro activities have been well characterized. However, the functional roles of t...