title: ERM proteins at a glance.
abstract: The cell cortex is a dynamic and heterogeneous structure that governs cell identity and behavior. The ERM proteins (ezrin, radixin and moesin) are major architects of the cell cortex, and they link plasma membrane phospholipids and proteins to the underlying cortical actin cytoskeleton. Recent studies in several model systems have uncovered surprisingly dynamic and complex molecular activities of the ERM proteins and have provided new mechanistic insight into how they build and maintain cortical domains. Among many well-established and essential functions of ERM proteins, this Cell Science at a Glance article and accompanying poster will focus on the role of ERMs in organizing the cell cortex during cell division and apical morphogenesis. These examples highlight an emerging appreciation that the ERM proteins both locally alter the mechanical properties of the cell cortex, and control the spatial distribution and activity of key membrane complexes, establishing the ERM proteins as a nexus for the physical and functional organization of the cell cortex and making it clear that they are much more than scaffolds. This article is part of a Minifocus on Establishing polarity.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research, Harvard Medical School Department of Pathology, 149 13th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA mcclatch@helix.mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Andrea I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: McClatchey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D016023:Integrins; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: Actin cytoskeleton; Apical morphogenesis; Cell cortex; Ezrin; Moesin; Radixin