Annexins is focused on a specific family of calcium and membrane-binding proteins, annexins, ubiquitously spread within living organisms, including animals, plants and fungi.

Annexins covers important areas of annexinology. The characterization of structural-functional relationship within the annexin family of proteins, together with emerging transgenic animal models, provides an up-to-date overview of potential physiological roles of annexins. Growing evidence of participation of annexins in human diseases, called annexinopathies, related to disturbances in signal transduction, vesicular traffic, ion homeostasis and energy metabolism within the cell.

Annexins will attract a broad scientific audience, not only scientists interested in annexins, but also others involved in multidisciplinary studies, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students. It can be used in courses relating to special topics such as calcium homeostasis, calcium-binding proteins, membrane structure and transport properties, various signal transduction pathways, and membrane trafficking.

Contents

1. Reflections on Twenty-Five Years of Annexin Research
2. Structure, function and evolution of the annexin gene superfamily
3. Structural conservation and functional versatility: allostery as a common annexin feature
4. Self-assembly of Annexin A5 on lipid membranes
5. Annexin gene knock-out models
6. Annexin V: stimulation-dependent association with membrane protein
7. Interaction of annexins with S100 proteins
8. Annexin A1 crystal structure: Interaction of annexins with membranes
9. Annexin II: analysis of a pleiotropic protein
10. Role of annexin 6 in receptor-mediated endocytosis, membrane trafficking and signal transduction
11. Annexins and tissue mineralization: matrix vesicles, ion channel activity of annexins and annexin V/collagen interactions
12. Acidic pH-induced ion channels formed by annexin A6: transformation from soluble to membrane integral protein
13. Annexinopathy in the antiphospholipid syndrome
14. Annexins and phospholipases
15. Role of annexin II tetramer in the regulation of plasmin activity
16. The nucleotide face of annexins
17. Involvement of human annexins in viral entry

Index

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