Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 24, 2025

Study of Protein-protein Interactions in Autophagy Research
Published on: September 9, 2017
Profilin upregulation induces autophagy through stabilization of AMP-activated protein kinase
Shashank Saurav1,2, Sunil Kumar Manna1
1Laboratory of Immunology, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting & Diagnostics, Hyderabad, India.
Abstract:
Profilin regulates actin polymerization, and its balanced expression is required for cellular growth and development. Most tumours have compromised profilin expression, and its overexpression in MDA MB-231 breast cancer cells has been reported to activate AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα), an energy-sensing molecule that affects various cellular processes including autophagy. This study aims to explore the role of profilin in autophagy induction. We employed all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) as an inducer of profilin expression and showed that profilin induces autophagy through mTOR inhibition, autophagy-activating kinase ULK1 upregulation, and AMPK stabilization as well as its activation. Furthermore, evidence from our study indicates physical interaction between profilin and AMPK, which results in AMPK stabilization and induction of prolonged autophagy, thereby leading to apoptosis. This study uncovers a novel mechanism that induces autophagy in triple-negative breast cancer cells.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
Autophagy
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
Autophagic Cell Death
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...

