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To be or not to be assembled: progressing into nuclear actin filaments

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 14, pages 693–697 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

The paradigm states that cytoplasmic actin operates as filaments and nuclear actin is mainly monomeric, acting as a scaffold in transcription complexes. However, why should a powerful function of actin, namely polymerization, not be used in the nucleus? Recent progress in the field forces us to rethink this issue, as many actin filament assembly proteins have been linked to nuclear functions and new experimental approaches have provided the first direct visualizations of polymerized nuclear actin.

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Figure 1: Seeing is believing: visualization of polymeric nuclear actin.
Figure 2: Schematic of the possible regulation of nuclear actin dynamics and nuclear actin filament assembly.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank members of their laboratories for discussions and C. Baarlink for the image in figure 1. The work in the laboratory of M.K.V is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting grant, Academy of Finland and Sigrid Juselius foundation. Work in the laboratory of R.G. is partly funded by the Deutsche Forschnungsgemeinschaft (GR 2111/2 and SFB 593).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biochemical-Pharmacological Center (BPC), Institute of Pharmacology, University of Marburg, 35043, Germany

    Robert Grosse

  2. Institute of Biotechnology, Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 9, Helsinki, 00014, Finland

    Maria K. Vartiainen

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Correspondence to Robert Grosse or Maria K. Vartiainen.

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Grosse, R., Vartiainen, M. To be or not to be assembled: progressing into nuclear actin filaments. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 14, 693–697 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3681

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