title: Tropomyosin as a regulator of cancer cell transformation.
abstract: Tropomyosins (Tms) are among the most studied structural proteins of the actin cytoskeleton that are implicated in neoplastic-specific alterations in actin filament organization. Decreased expression of specific nonmuscle Tm isoforms is commonly associated with the transformed phenotype. These changes in Tm expression appear to contribute to the rearrangement of microfilament bundles and morphological alterations, increased cell motility and oncogenic signaling properties of transformed cells. Below we review aspects of Tm biology as it specifically relates to transformation and cancer including its expression in culture models of transformed cells and human tumors, mechanisms that regulate Tm expression and the role of Tm in oncogenic signaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Papanicolaou Building, Room 317, 1550 NW 10th Avenue (M-877), Miami, Florida 33136, USA. dhelfman@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Helfman
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: Protiti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saeed
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002465:Cell Movement; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014335:Tropomyosin / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014335:Tropomyosin