ANLN
Description
The ANLN (anillin, actin binding protein) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 7.
Anillin is a conserved protein involved in cytoskeletal dynamics during cellularization and cytokinesis. The ANLN gene in humans and the scraps gene in Drosophila encode Anillin. It was first identified in 1989 as an F-actin binding protein in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. In 1995, the anillin gene was cloned from cDNA originating from a Drosophila ovary. Staining with anti-anillin antibody shows it localizes to the nucleus during interphase and to the contractile ring during cytokinesis. These observations align with further research that found anillin in high concentrations near the cleavage furrow alongside RhoA, a key regulator of contractile ring formation. The name "anillin" originates from the Spanish word "anillo", meaning "ring", referencing its enrichment at the contractile ring during cytokinesis. Anillins are also enriched at other actomyosin rings, notably those at the leading edge of the Drosophila embryo during cellularization.
Required for cytokinesis (PubMed:16040610). Essential for the structural integrity of the cleavage furrow and for completion of cleavage furrow ingression. Plays a role in bleb assembly during metaphase and anaphase of mitosis (PubMed:23870127). May play a significant role in podocyte cell migration (PubMed:24676636). {ECO:0000269|PubMed:10931866, ECO:0000269|PubMed:12479805, ECO:0000269|PubMed:15496454, ECO:0000269|PubMed:16040610, ECO:0000269|PubMed:16357138, ECO:0000269|PubMed:23870127, ECO:0000269|PubMed:24676636}
ANLN is also known as FSGS8, Scraps, scra.
