The actin-bundling protein L-plastin—A double-edged sword: Beneficial for the immune response, maleficent in cancer

The dynamic organization of the actin cytoskeleton into bundles and networks is
orchestrated by a large variety of actin-binding proteins. Among them, the actinbundling
protein L-plastin is normally expressed in hematopoietic cells, where it is
involved in the immune response. However, L-plastin is also often ectopically expressed
in malignant cancer cells of non-hematopoietic origin and is even considered as a
marker for cancer progression. Post-translational modification modulates L-plastin activity.
In particular, L-plastin Ser5 phosphorylation has been shown to be important for the
immune response in leukocytes as well as for invasion and metastasis formation of
carcinoma cells.