Coronin 1 in innate immunity

The WD repeat containing family of coronin proteins is generally referred to as F-actin-interacting proteins. While in lower eukaryotes such as Dictyostelium discoideum, the single short coronin protein regulates several F-actin dependent processes such as motility, phagocytosis and macropinocytosis, the function of any of the seven coronin isoforms in mammals is far less understood. This chapter describes the current knowledge on mammalian coronin 1 (coronin 1A), the closest homologue to Dictyostelium short coronin that is exclusively expressed in leukocytes. Recent work based on biochemical, molecular biological and genetic analysis suggest that coronin 1 has evolved a function that is quite different from the F-actin regulatory function of Dictyostelium short coronin. Rather, mammalian coronin 1 is involved in the regulation of leukocyte specific signaling events.