Local call: from integrins to actin assembly.
Integrins link the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton by triggering the assembly of different types of adhesion complex. One of their major components is filamentous actin (F-actin), and they are important signaling hubs for actin cytoskeleton reorganization in response to chemical and mechanical signals. In an exciting publication, Butler et al. have demonstrated for the first time that purified adhesion complexes possess the entire machinery necessary to actively assemble F-actin as a function of integrin activity and clustering.
Wiesner
Sebastian
S
Department of Molecular Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Lange
Anika
A
Fässler
Reinhard
R
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D021982:Cell-Matrix Junctions / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020014:K562 Cells; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011108:Polymers; D015398:Signal Transduction
D000199:Actins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D016023:Integrins; D011108:Polymers