septin基因家族的研究进展

septin是一个广泛存在于除植物以外所有真核生物中的基因家族。最初认为septin家族是与酵母细胞胞质分裂相关的基因家族。然而随着研究的深入, 人们发现这类基因编码的蛋白质在许多生物体内出现了较大的功能分化, 尤其在哺乳动物细胞中, 他们不仅成员众多, 且参与了细胞分裂、细胞极化、囊泡运输及胞膜重构等多个过程。更引起研究人员重视的是: 最近有大量数据表明, 这一家族的一些成员与肿瘤发生、神经功能障碍和病原微生物感染的过程直接相关。因此, 近年来septin家族的功能研究正逐步成为细胞生物学及病理学研究的新热点。文章将试图从septin基因家族的种类、结构特点、生物学功能及其与人类疾病的关系等方面的研究进展进行综述。

Research progresses on septin family

The septins are a family of proteins that are broadly distributed in almost all of eukaryotes except plants. septin was first identified in yeast as a protein that played a role in cytokinesis. With the recent advances in the field, the functions of these proteins become diverse in many organisms. In particular, the number of known mammalian septin family members has increased dramatically. They are now known to have many cellular roles such as cytokinesis, polarity determination, vesicle trafficking and membrane dynamics. Recently, more and more data suggest that some septin family members participate in the pathogenesis of different diseases including neoplasia, neurodegeneration and infections. These make the research of septins a hallmark in cell biology and pathology. In this review, we will summarize the major research progresses about septins in their classification, structure, biological function and the relationship with human diseases.