Zyxin

A protein involved in the regulation of actin dynamics

General Information

Cell migration requires the formation of motile organelles like lamellipodia and the adhesion of the cell to the extracellular substrate. These specialized sites, termed focal adhesions, link the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton.
The LIM domain protein zyxin probably plays a key role in the regulation of actin dynamics at focal adhesions, along stress fibers and at cell-cell contacts.
Zyxin contains three C-terminal LIM-domains. The LIM domain consists of a conserved double zinc finger protein module which also occurs in transcription factors. It mediates the interaction with a wide variety of other proteins including other LIM domain proteins, kinases, transcription factors and cytoskeleton associated proteins.