N-WASP-IQGAP1 Complex and Its Function in Coordinating Cytoskeleton Crosstalk
XIA Fan, DONG Bo, PENG Hongzhe*
Cytoskeleton, including F-actin (microfilament), microtubule and intermediate filament, is the main intracellular supporting structure. Cytoskeleton plays an essential role in driving various of cell behaviors, such as cell migration, cell shape changing, cell proliferation and polarity establishment. The crosstalk between actin cytoskeleton and microtubules was coordinated in multiple molecular mechanisms, which was considered as a key problem in cytoskeleton dynamic regulation research. In previous study, a large number of cytoskeleton-as sociated proteins was found regulating actin cytoskeleton and microtubules crosstalk. N-WASP protein is involved in the nucleation and branching of microfilaments. IQGAP1 protein plays as not only a cross linker between F-actin and microtubules, but also a regulator of cytoskeleton dynamics. Researches has proved the N-WASP and IQGAP1 functioning as a complex in some cell behavior regulation. This review, focused on the N-WASP-IQGAP1 com plex, introduced its structure and molecular mechanisms in cytoskeleton regulation, summarized the function of N WASP and IQGAP1 in driving different cell behavior and tissue morphogenesis, and proposed the N-WASP-IQGAP1 complex as a potential “key regulating unit” in coordinating cytoskeleton crosstalk. This reveiw also suggested the Ciona notochord cells as a powerful model for exploring the role of N-WASP -IQGAP1 complex in cytoskeleton crosstalk.
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