Actin-related proteins in the nucleus: life beyond chromatin remodelers

Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2010 Jun;22(3):383-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2010.02.006. Epub 2010 Mar 18.

Abstract

Since their discovery in the mid-1990s, nuclear actin-related proteins (ARPs) have gained attention for their roles as structural components of ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes. These remodelers can move nucleosomes along the DNA, evict them from chromatin, and exchange histone variants to alter chromatin states locally. Chromatin-remodeling facilitates DNA-templated processes such as transcription regulation, DNA replication, and repair. Consistent with a role for ARPs in shaping chromatin structure, recent genetic studies show that they affect developmental and cell-type specific transcriptional programming. Here, we focus on recent results that suggest a specific contribution of ARPs to long-range interactions in the nucleus, and review evidence indicating that some ARPs may act independently of chromatin-remodeling machines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Actins / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism*
  • Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly*
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological
  • Nuclear Proteins / chemistry
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Ribosomes / genetics

Substances

  • Actins
  • Nuclear Proteins