Fascin: Invasive filopodia promoting metastasis

Machesky, L. M. and Li, A. (2010) Fascin: Invasive filopodia promoting metastasis. Communicative and Integrative Biology, 3(3), pp. 263-270. (doi: 10.4161/cib.3.3.11556) (PMID:20714410) (PMCID:PMC2918773)

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Abstract

Fascin is an evolutionarily conserved actin bundling protein that localizes to microspikes, filopodia and actin-based protrusions underneath the plasma membrane. Fascin has received a lot of attention among cytoskeletal proteins, because multiple clinical studies have implicated its expression in cancer progression and metastasis. This may be because fascin is not normally expressed in epithelial tissues and when it is upregulated as a part of a programme of cancer cell epithelial to mesenchymal progression it confers special motility and invasion properties on cancer cells. In normal adult tissues, fascin expression is high in neurons and dendritic cells; both cell types have striking large filopodia and are highly motile. It is not clear how fascin promotes invasive motility in cancer cells, but many studies have implicated filopodia formation in motility and we have recently provided new evidence that fascin stabilizes actin bundles in invasive foot structures termed invadopodia in cancer cells Figure 1 and.1 Here we review some of the evidence implicating fascin in motility, invasion and cancer aggressiveness, and we speculate that by stabilising actin, fascin provides cells with powerful invasive properties that may confer increased metastatic potential.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:We thank Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council UK G117/569 for core support.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Li, Mr Ang and Machesky, Professor Laura
Authors: Machesky, L. M., and Li, A.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cancer Sciences
Journal Name:Communicative and Integrative Biology
Publisher:Taylor and Francis
ISSN:1942-0889
Published Online:01 May 2010
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2010 Landes Bioscience

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