Cofilin: A Promising Protein Implicated in Cancer Metastasis and Apoptosis

Jing Xu; Yan Huang; Jimeng Zhao; Luyi Wu; Qin Qi; Yanan Liu; Guona Li; Jing Li; Huirong Liu; Huangan Wu

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.599065

Cofilin: A Promising Protein Implicated in Cancer Metastasis and Apoptosis

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Feb 4:9:599065. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.599065. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jing Xu^{1

2}, Yan Huang^{1

2}, Jimeng Zhao^{1

2}, Luyi Wu², Qin Qi¹, Yanan Liu^{1

2}, Guona Li^{1

2}, Jing Li¹, Huirong Liu^{1

2}, Huangan Wu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Yueyang Hospital of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Immunological Effects, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Cofilin is an actin-binding protein that regulates filament dynamics and depolymerization. The over-expression of cofilin is observed in various cancers, cofilin promotes cancer metastasis by regulating cytoskeletal reorganization, lamellipodium formation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Clinical treatment of cancer regarding cofilin has been explored in aspects of tumor cells apoptosis and cofilin related miRNAs. This review addresses the structure and phosphorylation of cofilin and describes recent findings regarding the function of cofilin in regulating cancer metastasis and apoptosis in tumor cells.

Keywords: actin-binding protein; apoptosis; cancer metastasis; cofilin; migration.

Publication types

Review