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. 1998 Feb 16;17(4):967–976. doi: 10.1093/emboj/17.4.967

In mouse brain profilin I and profilin II associate with regulators of the endocytic pathway and actin assembly.

W Witke 1, A V Podtelejnikov 1, A Di Nardo 1, J D Sutherland 1, C B Gurniak 1, C Dotti 1, M Mann 1
PMCID: PMC1170446  PMID: 9463375

Abstract

Profilins are thought to be essential for regulation of actin assembly. However, the functions of profilins in mammalian tissues are not well understood. In mice profilin I is expressed ubiquitously while profilin II is expressed at high levels only in brain. In extracts from mouse brain, profilin I and profilin II can form complexes with regulators of endocytosis, synaptic vesicle recycling and actin assembly. Using mass spectrometry and database searching we characterized a number of ligands for profilin I and profilin II from mouse brain extracts including dynamin I, clathrin, synapsin, Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase, the Rac-associated protein NAP1 and a member of the NSF/sec18 family. In vivo, profilins co-localize with dynamin I and synapsin in axonal and dendritic processes. Our findings strongly suggest that in brain profilin I and profilin II complexes link the actin cytoskeleton and endocytic membrane flow, directing actin and clathrin assembly to distinct membrane domains.

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Selected References

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