Abstract

Actin is a key protein in numerous cellular functions. One recent study has identified a large set of genes, associated with the actin cytoskeleton, which could be grouped into a wide spectrum of cytoplasmic and nuclear functions, such as protein biosynthesis and gene transcription.1 Deletions of many of the identified genes affected cellular actin organization,1 suggesting a functional link between different actin fractions probably regulated through changes in actin dynamics. The data are very exciting; speculations on the crosstalk between cytoplasmic and nuclear actin fractions in different cellular contexts may help placing the results in perspective to further understand how actin‐mediated signalling affects cellular functions, such as gene expression. BioEssays 29:407–411, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.