The different isoforms of profilin are known regulators of actin polymerization, and Joan Brugge and colleagues now show that profilin isoforms 1 and 2 have opposing functions in regulating cell migration and invasion. Unlike profilin 1, profilin 2 engages an ENA/VASP protein, EVL, and reduces membrane protrusion and cell migration through an actomyosin contractility mechanism. Downregulation of profilin 2 or EVL induces migration and invasion in cell lines, and reduced expression of these proteins correlates with invasive disease and a poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Mouneimne, G. et al. Differential remodeling of actin cytoskeleton architecture by profilin isoforms leads to distinct effects on cell migration and invasion. Cancer Cell 22, 615–630 (2012)
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McCarthy, N. Profiling the profilins. Nat Rev Cancer 13, 8 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3435
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3435