ZYX is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''ZYX''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Function
Focal adhesion
In cell biology, focal adhesions (also cell–matrix adhesions or FAs) are large macromolecular assemblies through which mechanical force and regulatory signals are transmitted between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and an interacting Cell (biolo ...
s are actin-rich structures that enable cells to adhere to the
extracellular matrix
In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM), also called intercellular matrix (ICM), is a network consisting of extracellular macromolecules and minerals, such as collagen, enzymes, glycoproteins and hydroxyapatite that provide structural and bio ...
and at which protein complexes involved in signal transduction assemble. Zyxin is a zinc-binding phosphoprotein that concentrates at focal adhesions and along the actin cytoskeleton. Zyxin has an N-terminal proline-rich domain and three
LIM domain
LIM domains are protein structural domains, composed of two contiguous zinc fingers, separated by a two-amino acid residue hydrophobic linker. The domain name is an acronym of the three genes in which it was first identified (LIN-11, Isl-1 and M ...
s in its C-terminal half. The proline-rich domain may interact with SH3 domains of proteins involved in signal transduction pathways while the LIM domains are likely involved in protein-protein binding. Zyxin may function as a messenger in the signal transduction pathway that mediates adhesion-stimulated changes in gene expression and may modulate the cytoskeletal organization of actin bundles. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants that encode the same isoform.
Interactions
Zyxin has been shown to
interact with:
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Actinin, alpha 1
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ENAH,
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LASP1,
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LATS1,
and
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Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein.
References
Further reading
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External links
Zyxin
Info with links in th
Cell Migration Gateway
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211173306/http://www.cellmigration.org/index.shtml , date=2014-12-11
Cytoskeleton