Niwa, R., Nagata-Ohashi, K., Takeichi, M., Mizuno, K., Uemura, T. (2002). Control of actin reorganization by Slingshot, a family of phosphatases that dephosphorylate ADF/cofilin. Cell 108(2): 233--246.
FlyBase ID
FBrf0144752
Publication Type
Research paper
Abstract
The ADF (actin-depolymerizing factor)/cofilin family is a stimulus-responsive mediator of actin dynamics. In contrast to the mechanisms of inactivation of ADF/cofilin by kinases such as LIM-kinase 1 (LIMK1), much less is known about its reactivation through dephosphorylation. Here we report Slingshot (SSH), a family of phosphatases that have the property of F actin binding. In Drosophila, loss of ssh function dramatically increased levels of both F actin and phospho-cofilin (P cofilin) and disorganized epidermal cell morphogenesis. In mammalian cells, human SSH homologs (hSSHs) suppressed LIMK1-induced actin reorganization. Furthermore, SSH and the hSSHs dephosphorylated P cofilin in cultured cells and in cell-free assays. Our results strongly suggest that the SSH family plays a pivotal role in actin dynamics by reactivating ADF/cofilin in vivo.
