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Membrane ruffling and signal transduction
Author(s) -
Ridley Anne J.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.950160506
Subject(s) - membrane ruffling , microbiology and biotechnology , signal transduction , signal transducing adaptor protein , biology , cytoskeleton , phospholipase c , actin cytoskeleton , actin , scaffold protein , phosphoinositide phospholipase c , cortactin , actin remodeling , biochemistry , cell
One of the earliest structural changes observed in cells in response to many extracellular factors is membrane ruffling: the formation of motile cell surface protrusions containing a meshwork of newly polymerized actin filaments. It is becoming clear that actin reorganization is an integral part of early signal transduction pathways, and that many signalling molecules interact with the actin cytoskeleton. The small GTP‐binding protein Rac is a key regulator of membrane ruffling, and proteins that can regulate Rac activity, such as Bcr, are likely to act on this signalling pathway. In addition, several previously characterized signal transducing molecules are implicated in the membrane‐ruffling response, including Ras, the adaptor protein Grb2, phosphatidyl inositol 3‐kinase, phospholipase A 2 and phorbol ester‐responsive proteins. Changes in polyphosphoinositide metabolism and intracellular Ca 2+ levels may also play a role. A number of actin‐binding and organizing proteins localize to membrane ruffles and are potential targets for these signal transducing molecules.