Formins nucleate actin and stabilize microtubules (MTs). Expression of the formin Diaphanous homolog 1 (DIAPH1) is increased in malignant colon carcinoma cells, while expression of DIAPH3 is up-regulated in breast and prostate carcinoma cells. Both DIAPH1 isoforms are required to stabilize interphase MTs of cancer cells, and it has been shown that loss of this function decreases the metastatic potential of these cells. Moreover, depletion of DIAPH3 increases the sensitivity of breast and prostate carcinoma cells to taxanes. In contrast with DIAPH1 + 3, DIAPH2 regulates metaphase MTs of tumor cells by stabilizing binding of kinetochore MTs to chromosomes. Depletion of DIAPH2 impairs chromosome alignment, thus proper chromosome segregation during mitosis. In summary, expression of DIAPH formins in tumor cells is essential for stabilizing interphase or metaphase MTs, respectively. Thus, it would be very interesting to analyze if tumor cells exhibiting low DIAPH expression are more sensitive to taxanes than those with high DIAPH expression.
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October 2016
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Alternative splicing of intrinsically disordered segments can rewire protein interaction networks. In this issue, the Biochemical Society’s Colworth Medal winner, M. Madan Babu explores the contribution of intrinsically disordered regions to protein function, cellular complexity and human disease; see pages 1185–1200. [Credit: Guilhem Chalancon, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.]
Review Article|
October 19 2016
Diaphanous-related formin 1 as a target for tumor therapy
Yuan-Na Lin;
Yuan-Na Lin
1Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
2Department of Biochemistry and Signal Transduction, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
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Sabine Windhorst
Sabine Windhorst
2Department of Biochemistry and Signal Transduction, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany
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Biochem Soc Trans (2016) 44 (5): 1289–1293.
Article history
Received:
May 17 2016
Revision Received:
August 01 2016
Accepted:
August 17 2016
Citation
Yuan-Na Lin, Sabine Windhorst; Diaphanous-related formin 1 as a target for tumor therapy. Biochem Soc Trans 15 October 2016; 44 (5): 1289–1293. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20160120
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