Anti-Fascin/FSCN1 Antibody Picoband®

Fascin is a actin cross-linking protein. The Fascin gene contains 5 exons and spans 7 kb. It is a 54-58 kilodalton monomeric actin filament bundling protein originally isolated from sea urchin egg but also found in Drosophila and vertebrates, including humans. Fascin (from the Latin for bundle) is spaced at 11 nanometre intervals along the filament. The bundles in cross section are seen to be hexagonally packed, and the longitudinal spacing is compatible with a model where fascin cross-links at alternating 4 and 5 actins. It is calcium insensitive and monomeric. Fascin binds beta-catenin, and colocalizes with it at the leading edges and borders of epithelial and endothelial cells. The role of Fascin in regulating cytoskeletal structures for the maintenance of cell adhesion, coordinating motility and invasion through interactions with signalling pathways is an active area of research especially from the cancer biology perspective. Abnormal fascin expression or function has been implicated in breast cancer, colon cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, gallbladder cancer and prostate cancer.

Organizes filamentous actin into bundles with a minimum of 4.1:1 actin/fascin ratio. Plays a role in the organization of actin filament bundles and the formation of microspikes, membrane ruffles, and stress fibers. Important for the formation of a diverse set of cell protrusions, such as filopodia, and for cell motility and migration. .

1. Saishin, Y., Shimada, S., Morimura, H., Sato, K., Ishimoto, I., Tano, Y., Tohyama, M.Isolation of a cDNA encoding a photoreceptor cell-specific actin-bundling protein: retinal fascin.FEBS Lett. 414: 381-386, 1997. 2. Wada, Y., Abe, T., Takeshita, T., Sato, H., Yanashima, K., Tamai, M.Mutation of human retinal fascin gene (FSCN2) causes autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa.Invest. Ophthal. Vis. Sci. 42: 2395-2400, 2001.

Store at -20°C for one year from date of receipt. After reconstitution, at 4°C for one month. It can also be aliquotted and stored frozen at -20°C for six months. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

Cytoplasm, cytoskeleton. Cell projection, filopodium. Cell projection, invadopodium. Cytoplasm, cytosol. In glioma cells, partially colocalizes with F-actin stress fibers in the cytosol.