Form and function: Does the source of actin determine functional interactions with palladin?
Date
2022-04-15Author
Urbina, Noely
Klausmeyer, Rachel
Liu, David
Beck, Moriah R.
Advisor
Beck, Moriah R.Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Urbina, Noely; Klausmeyer, Rachel; Liu, David; Beck, Moriah R.. 2022.
Form and function: Does the source of actin determine functional interactions with palladin? -- In Proceedings: 21st Annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum. Wichita, KS: Wichita State University, p. 20
Abstract
Actin is one of the most abundant proteins in eukaryotes and regulates
individual cell functions such as motility, cell shape, and muscle contractions. Yet, actin
cannot work alone and interacts with over 150 actin-binding proteins (ABPs). Research
in Dr. Beck’s lab is focused on the ABP named palladin. Palladin has been linked to the
regulation of normal embryonic development and wound healing, but also to cancer
metastasis. Palladin is widely expressed in all different types of human cells, however, all
prior research has utilized a form of actin from muscle cells.
Several different isoforms of actin vary in protein sequence, location, and function. The
most notable being muscle actin, which is the isoform of actin that is most used in
biochemical experiments as it is easy to isolate from tissue and is cost-effective.
However, there are some drawbacks to using muscle actin such as its heterogeneity and
post-translational modifications that are not found in non-muscle actin isoforms. Our
hypothesis is that different forms of actin may alter the interaction and overall function of
the paladin-actin complex. Therefore, we are working to implement a previously
established method of purifying non-muscle actin isoforms so that relevant studies can be
carried out to examine the role of palladin in actin dynamics. In our studies, we used the
yeast strain Pichia pastoris to express and purify the different non-muscle isoforms of
actin. These results will help to elucidate the interactions between palladin and actin in
eukaryotic cells and could help further the understanding of their roles in cancer
progression.
Description
Presented to the 21st Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum (URCAF) held at the Rhatigan Student Center, Wichita State University, April 15, 2022.