Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the VASP gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

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Function

Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) is a member of the Ena-VASP protein family

Ena/Vasp homology proteins

ENA/VASP Homology proteins or EVH proteins are a family of closely related proteins involved in cell motility in vertebrate and invertebrate animals. EVH proteins are modular proteins that are involved in actin polymerisation, as well as interaction with other proteins...

. Ena-VASP family members contain an N-terminal EVH1 domain

EVH1 domain

The EVH1 domain is an evolutionary conserved protein domain.The EVH1 domain is found in multi-domain proteins implicated in a diverse range of signalling, nuclear transport and cytoskeletal events. This domain of around 115 amino acids is present in species ranging from yeast to mammals...

 that binds proteins containing E/DFPPPPXD/E motifs and targets Ena-VASP proteins to focal adhesions cell membranes. In the mid-region of the protein, family members have a proline

Proline

Proline is an α-amino acid, one of the twenty DNA-encoded amino acids. Its codons are CCU, CCC, CCA, and CCG. It is not an essential amino acid, which means that the human body can synthesize it. It is unique among the 20 protein-forming amino acids in that the α-amino group is secondary...

-rich region that binds SH3

SH3 domain

The SRC Homology 3 Domain is a small protein domain of about 60 amino acids residues first identified as a conserved sequence in the viral adaptor protein v-Crk and the non-catalytic parts of enzymes such as phospholipase and several cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases such as Abl and Src...

 and WW domain

WW domain

The WW domain is a protein domain with two highly conserved tryptophans that binds proline-rich peptide motifs...

-containing proteins. Their C-terminal EVH2 domain mediates tetramerization and binds both G and F actin

Actin

Actin is a globular, roughly 42-kDa moonlighting protein found in all eukaryotic cells where it may be present at concentrations of over 100 μM. It is also one of the most highly-conserved proteins, differing by no more than 20% in species as diverse as algae and humans...

. VASP is associated with filamentous actin formation and likely plays a widespread role in cell adhesion

Cell adhesion

Cellular adhesion is the binding of a cell to a surface, extracellular matrix or another cell using cell adhesion molecules such as selectins, integrins, and cadherins. Correct cellular adhesion is essential in maintaining multicellular structure...

 and motility. VASP may also be involved in the intracellular signaling pathways that regulate integrin

Integrin

Integrins are receptors that mediate attachment between a cell and the tissues surrounding it, which may be other cells or the ECM. They also play a role in cell signaling and thereby regulate cellular shape, motility, and the cell cycle....

-extracellular matrix

Extracellular matrix

In biology, the extracellular matrix is the extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the animal cells in addition to performing various other important functions. The extracellular matrix is the defining feature of connective tissue in animals.Extracellular...

 interactions. VASP is regulated by the cyclic nucleotide-dependent kinases PKA and PKG

CGMP-dependent protein kinase

cGMP-dependent protein kinase or Protein Kinase G is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase that is activated by cGMP. It phosphorylates a number of biologically important targets and is implicated in the regulation of smooth muscle relaxation, platelet function, sperm metabolism, cell...

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Interactions

Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with Zyxin

Zyxin

Zyxin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ZYX gene.-Interactions:Zyxin has been shown to interact with ENAH, LASP1, LATS1, Actinin, alpha 1 and Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein.-External links:* Info with links in the...

, Profilin 1

Profilin 1

Profilin-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PFN1 gene.-Interactions:Profilin 1 has been shown to interact with WASF1, FMNL1, WASL, MLLT4 and Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein.-Further reading:...

 and PFN2

PFN2

Profilin-2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PFN2 gene.-Interactions:PFN2 has been shown to interact with ROCK1, Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein and FMNL1.-Further reading:...

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