2. Academic Validation
  3. Annexins-a family of proteins with distinctive tastes for cell signaling and membrane dynamics

Annexins-a family of proteins with distinctive tastes for cell signaling and membrane dynamics

  • Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 21;15(1):1574. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45954-0.
Volker Gerke 1,  Felicity N E Gavins 2,  Michael Geisow 3 4,  Thomas Grewal 5,  Jyoti K Jaiswal 6 7,  Jesper Nylandsted 8 9,  Ursula Rescher 10
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Center for Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Strasse 56, Münster, Germany. [email protected].
  • 2 Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Inflammation Research and Translational Medicine (CIRTM), Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK.
  • 3 The National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, UK.
  • 4 Delta Biotechnology Ltd, Nottingham, UK.
  • 5 School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
  • 6 Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children's National Research Institute, Children's National Research and Innovation Campus, Washington, DC, USA.
  • 7 Department of Genomics and Precision Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
  • 8 Danish Cancer Institute, Strandboulevarden 49, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • 9 Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløws Vej 21-25, Odense, Denmark.
  • 10 Research Group Cellular Biochemistry, Institute of Molecular Virology, Center for Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Strasse 56, Münster, Germany. [email protected].
PMID: 38383560 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45954-0
Abstract

Annexins are cytosolic proteins with conserved three-dimensional structures that bind acidic Phospholipids in cellular membranes at elevated CA2+ levels. Through this they act as CA2+-regulated membrane binding modules that organize membrane lipids, facilitating cellular membrane transport but also displaying extracellular activities. Recent discoveries highlight annexins as sensors and regulators of cellular and organismal stress, controlling inflammatory reactions in mammals, environmental stress in Plants, and cellular responses to plasma membrane rupture. Here, we describe the role of annexins as CA2+-regulated membrane binding modules that sense and respond to cellular stress and share our view on future research directions in the field.

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