Cofilin is a pivotal actin-binding protein that plays a central role in regulating cytoskeletal dynamics,contributing to essential cellular processes such as migration,invasion,intracellular trafficking,and apoptosis....Cofilin is a pivotal actin-binding protein that plays a central role in regulating cytoskeletal dynamics,contributing to essential cellular processes such as migration,invasion,intracellular trafficking,and apoptosis.Dysregulation of cofilin is increasingly recognized to play a role in the pathogenesis and progression of various cancers,including gliomas and colorectal,breast,and bladder cancers.Cofilin facilitates cancer cell motility and metastasis by severing actin filaments,promoting invadopodia formation,and inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.Cofilin also modulates oncogenic signaling pathways,such as the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B and Rho guanosine triphosphatase pathways,and influences mitochondrial dynamics,thereby contributing to apoptosis resistance,metabolic reprogramming,and immune evasion.Recent advances in high-resolution imaging and multiomics analyses have revealed the spatiotemporal regulation of cofilin in the tumor microenvironment and its potential for use as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker.Elevated cofilin expression is correlated with poor clinical outcomes and resistance to therapies,making cofilin an attractive target for cancer treatment.Preclinical models have demonstrated that targeting cofilin or its upstream regulators can improve therapeutic responses and suppress metastasis.This review explores the structural,functional,and regulatory roles of cofilin in cancer biology and highlights its emerging therapeutic potential.Future research should focus on the development of selective inhibitors and personalized treatment strategies to leverage cofilin as a target in precision oncology.展开更多
文摘Cofilin is a pivotal actin-binding protein that plays a central role in regulating cytoskeletal dynamics,contributing to essential cellular processes such as migration,invasion,intracellular trafficking,and apoptosis.Dysregulation of cofilin is increasingly recognized to play a role in the pathogenesis and progression of various cancers,including gliomas and colorectal,breast,and bladder cancers.Cofilin facilitates cancer cell motility and metastasis by severing actin filaments,promoting invadopodia formation,and inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.Cofilin also modulates oncogenic signaling pathways,such as the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B and Rho guanosine triphosphatase pathways,and influences mitochondrial dynamics,thereby contributing to apoptosis resistance,metabolic reprogramming,and immune evasion.Recent advances in high-resolution imaging and multiomics analyses have revealed the spatiotemporal regulation of cofilin in the tumor microenvironment and its potential for use as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker.Elevated cofilin expression is correlated with poor clinical outcomes and resistance to therapies,making cofilin an attractive target for cancer treatment.Preclinical models have demonstrated that targeting cofilin or its upstream regulators can improve therapeutic responses and suppress metastasis.This review explores the structural,functional,and regulatory roles of cofilin in cancer biology and highlights its emerging therapeutic potential.Future research should focus on the development of selective inhibitors and personalized treatment strategies to leverage cofilin as a target in precision oncology.
