Genetic connections of the actin cytoskeleton and beyond.
Actin is a key protein in numerous cellular functions. One recent study has identified a large set of genes, associated with the actin cytoskeleton, which could be grouped into a wide spectrum of cytoplasmic and nuclear functions, such as protein biosynthesis and gene transcription. Deletions of many of the identified genes affected cellular actin organization, suggesting a functional link between different actin fractions probably regulated through changes in actin dynamics. The data are very exciting; speculations on the crosstalk between cytoplasmic and nuclear actin fractions in different cellular contexts may help placing the results in perspective to further understand how actin-mediated signalling affects cellular functions, such as gene expression.
Percipalle
Piergiorgio
P
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Nobel Institute, Karolinska Institute, Box 285, Stockholm SE-171 77, Sweden. piergiorgio.percipalle@ki.se
D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000378:metabolism
D000199:Actins