Your browser version may not work well with NCBI's Web applications. More information here...
1: Science. 2007 Jun 22;316(5832):1749-52.
Related Articles, Links
Click here to read Click here to read
Comment in:
Nuclear actin regulates dynamic subcellular localization and activity of the SRF cofactor MAL.

Vartiainen MK, Guettler S, Larijani B, Treisman R.

Transcription Laboratory, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX, UK.

Actin, which is best known as a cytoskeletal component, also participates in the control of gene expression. We report a function of nuclear actin in the regulation of MAL, a coactivator of the transcription factor serum response factor (SRF). MAL, which binds monomeric actin, is cytoplasmic in many cells but accumulates in the nucleus upon serum-induced actin polymerization. MAL rapidly shuttles between cytoplasm and nucleus in unstimulated cells. Serum stimulation effectively blocks MAL nuclear export, which requires MAL-actin interaction. Nuclear MAL binds SRF target genes but remains inactive unless actin binding is disrupted. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis demonstrates that the MAL-actin interaction responds to extracellular signals. Serum-induced signaling is thus communicated to nuclear actin to control a transcriptional regulator.

Publication Types:
PMID: 17588931 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]