School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Curr Biol. 2017 Jan 9;27(1):R8-R13. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.11.033.
The actin cytoskeleton provides not only the underpinning for cell architecture but also mechanical force and the ability to drive movement of cells and their organelles. It is tempting to think of it simply as a set of stable structural elements, but nothing could be further from the truth. The cells of our bodies are continually remodelling their architecture by responding to a range of imposed biomechanical forces and intracellular functional demands. Studies of the dynamic and functional properties of the actin cytoskeleton have been dominated by a focus on actin and the view that actin filaments are essentially 'generic'. However, the 'other' component of most actin filaments in animals - tropomyosin - is coming into prominence. With this discovery is the realisation that far from being generic, actin filaments have their own functional individuality provided to them by their associated tropomyosin. This is changing the way we understand and study the actin cytoskeleton and has delivered a new therapeutic opportunity in what had come to be considered a 'no-go zone'.
肌动蛋白细胞骨架不仅为细胞结构提供了基础，还提供了机械力和驱动细胞及其细胞器运动的能力。人们很容易简单地将其视为一组稳定的结构元素，但事实远非如此。我们身体的细胞通过响应一系列施加的生物力学力和细胞内功能需求，不断重塑其结构。对肌动蛋白细胞骨架的动态和功能特性的研究主要集中在肌动蛋白上，并且认为肌动蛋白丝本质上是“通用的”。然而，在动物中大多数肌动蛋白丝的“另一个”组成部分——原肌球蛋白——开始受到关注。随着这一发现，人们意识到，肌动蛋白丝远非通用，它们通过与其相关的原肌球蛋白获得了自身的功能独特性。这正在改变我们理解和研究肌动蛋白细胞骨架的方式，并在曾经被认为是“禁区”的领域带来了新的治疗机会。
