Functions of Fascin in Dendritic Cells

Fascin-1 is an actin-bundling protein that shares no homology with other actin-bundling proteins. It is greatly induced upon maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). However, fascin-1 is not expressed in other primary blood cells, including macrophages and neutrophils, indicating a unique role of fascin-1 in the function of DCs upon maturation. An increasing body of evidence has shown that fascin-1 plays critical roles in maturation-associated DC functions, including dynamic assembly of veil-like membrane protrusions, disassembly of podosomes, migration to lymph nodes, and the assembly of the immunological synapse. Pathological analyses of fascin-1 expression revealed that fascin-1 is a useful marker of diseases of immune cells, including Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Hodgkin diseases. Furthermore, attempts have been made to explore the use of a fascin-1 promoter for DNA vaccination because it is strong and specific to DCs.