S100 Protein Family and Its Application in Clinical Practice

The members of the S100 protein family are multifunctional proteins expressed in a diverse spectrum of tissues. However, they are calcium sensor proteins and through interaction with several intracellular effectors proteins they contribute to the regulation of a broad range of functions such as contraction, motility, cell growth and differentiation, cell cycle progression, organization of membrane-associated cytoskeleton elements, cell survival, apoptosis, protein phosphorylation, and secretion. S100 family members display remarkable diversity of function, exhibiting direct interaction with tubulins, intermediate filaments, actin, myosin and tropomyosin. Some of these processes have been implicated in mediating metastasis.