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The roles of fascins in health and disease
Author(s) -
Hashimoto Yosuke,
Kim Dae Joong,
Adams Josephine C
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.2894
Subject(s) - fascin , actin , microbiology and biotechnology , stereocilia (inner ear) , biology , actin cytoskeleton , cell , metastasis , cytoskeleton , cancer , chemistry , genetics , anatomy , hair cell , cochlea
Fascins are actin‐binding proteins that cross‐link filamentous actin into tightly packed parallel bundles. These bundles are important for the organization and morphology of an extremely diverse set of sub‐cellular structures that include dynamic and stable cell‐surface protrusions, stress fibres, and the specialized actin bundles of photoreceptor and stereocilia cells. In this review, we discuss the fascin gene family and its evolution, the actin‐bundling activity of fascins and the molecular pathways by which it is regulated, and the role of the diverse actin/fascin structures in normal cellular processes. We discuss the mechanisms by which fascins contribute to disease pathologies, especially cancer, where fascin‐1 is emerging as a novel therapeutic target in carcinoma metastasis. Copyright © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.