Abstract
Proteins belonging to the profilin family of actin-binding proteins are considered to be important control elements for actin polymerization and have been linked to a broad spectrum of cellular functions, including cell migration. An intriguing paper recently published in Cancer Cell unveils differential effects of profilin-1 and profilin-2, the two major isoforms of profilin, on actin cytoskeletal regulation, motility, and invasion of breast cancer cells, and further establishes a mechanism underlying profilin-2's suppressive effect on breast cancer cell migration. This viewpoint discusses the implications of these findings in the context of how profilins might regulate breast cancer cell motility.
Highlights
Membrane protrusion is the defining step of cell migration and requires dynamic regulation of actin polymerization at the leading edge involving orchestrated actions of different classes of actin-binding proteins
Article The authors reported that knockdown (KD) of Pfn2 in MCF10A and SUM159 (an invasive but non-metastatic breast cancer cell (BCC) line with a Pfn1:Pfn2 ratio comparable to that of MCF10A cells) cells decreased F-actin bundling at the regions near the leading edge, resulting in increased protrusive activities and faster migration/ invasion in vitro and in vivo
Contrasting these phenotypic changes associated with Pfn2 KD, depletion of Pfn1 resulted in dramatically increased F-actin bundling, impaired membrane protrusion and defects in BCC migration/invasion in vitro
Summary
Membrane protrusion is the defining step of cell migration and requires dynamic regulation of actin polymerization at the leading edge involving orchestrated actions of different classes of actin-binding proteins. Article The authors reported that knockdown (KD) of Pfn2 in MCF10A (a normal mammary epithelial cell line) and SUM159 (an invasive but non-metastatic breast cancer cell (BCC) line with a Pfn1:Pfn2 ratio comparable to that of MCF10A cells) cells decreased F-actin bundling at the regions near the leading edge, resulting in increased protrusive activities and faster migration/ invasion in vitro and in vivo.
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