title: The lamin protein family.
abstract: The lamins are the major architectural proteins of the animal cell nucleus. Lamins line the inside of the nuclear membrane, where they provide a platform for the binding of proteins and chromatin and confer mechanical stability. They have been implicated in a wide range of nuclear functions, including higher-order genome organization, chromatin regulation, transcription, DNA replication and DNA repair. The lamins are members of the intermediate filament (IF) family of proteins, which constitute a major component of the cytoskeleton. Lamins are the only nuclear IFs and are the ancestral founders of the IF protein superfamily. Lamins polymerize into fibers forming a complex protein meshwork in vivo and, like all IF proteins, have a tripartite structure with two globular head and tail domains flanking a central α-helical rod domain, which supports the formation of higher-order polymers. Mutations in lamins cause a large number of diverse human diseases, collectively known as the laminopathies, underscoring their functional importance.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20896, USA. dittmert@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Travis A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Dittmer
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Misteli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007382:Intermediate Filaments / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034882:Lamins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009154:Mutation; D009685:Nuclear Envelope / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D058105:Polymerization; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000235:genetics; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D034882:Lamins