Cytokinesis requires the formation of an actomyosin contractile ring between the two sets of sister chromatids. Annexin A2 is a calcium- and phospholipid-binding protein implicated in cortical actin remodeling. We report that annexin A2 accumulates at the equatorial cortex at the onset of cytokinesis and depletion of annexin A2 results in cytokinetic failure, due to a defective cleavage furrow ...

We have reported that heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) and annexin II are involved in the protection of human cells against UVC-induced cell death. In this study we tried to confirm the combined roles of HSP27 and annexin II in cell death after UVC irradiation. In RSa cells with sensitivity to UVC, expression of annexin II decreased after UVC irradiation, but not in AP(r)-1 cells with increased re...

Annexins constitute a family of calcium and membrane binding proteins. As annexin A1 and A2 have previously been linked to various membrane trafficking events, we initiated this study to investigate the role of these annexins in the uptake and intracellular transport of the bacterial Shiga toxin (Stx) and the plant toxin ricin. Once endocytosed, both toxins are retrogradely transported from end...

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has a highly increased incidence rate (20/100,000) in Southern regions of China, while being rare in the rest of the world. NPC is a malignant type of cancer due to its high occurrence rate of metastasis; however, biomarkers for effective diagnosis and treatment are yet to be identified. Annexin A1 is a glucocorticoid‑regulated member of a large superfamily of cal...

BACKGROUND Annexin A2 is a peripheral membrane protein that belongs to the annexin family of Ca(2+) and phospholipid-binding proteins. This protein, which plays a role in membrane organization and dynamics in particular along the endocytic pathway, exists as a heterotetrameric complex, consisting of two annexin A2 molecules bound via their N-termini to a dimer of p11/S100A10 light chains. The l...

OBJECTIVE To explore the roles of annexin II in breast cancer progression, and to study the effect of annexin II on breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. METHODS This study was conducted in the Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine Designated by the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China from December 2006 to January 2009. First, we employed Western blo...

Annexin I is a glucocorticoid-induced mediator with anti-inflammatory activity in animal models of arthritis. We studied the effects of a bioactive annexin I peptide, ac 2-26, dexamethasone (DEX), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) on phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and cyclooxygenase (COX) activities and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release in cultured human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). Annexin I bind...

Annexins are proteins that bind lipids in the presence of calcium. Though multiple functions have been proposed for annexins, there is no general agreement on what annexins do or how they do it. We have used the well-studied conductance probes nonactin, alamethicin, and tetraphenylborate to investigate how annexins alter the functional properties of planar lipid bilayers. We found that annexin ...

Purpose Fibrosis in peripheral airways is responsible for airflow limitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Annexin A1 modulates several key biological events during inflammation. However, little is known about its role in airway fibrosis in COPD. We investigated whether levels of Annexin A1 were upregulated in patients with COPD, and whether it promoted airway fibrosis. Met...

Noninvasive imaging using radioactive annexin V is an emerging strategy for the assessment of cell death in vivo (F. G. Blankenberg, and H. W. Strauss. Apoptosis, 6: 117-123, 2001.). Therefore, we investigated whether annexin V labeled with the fluorophore Cy5.5 (Cy) could serve as a probe for imaging of tumor apoptosis using near infrared fluorescence (NIRF). We prepared active Cy-annexin (an ...