| villin 2 (ezrin) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | |||||||
| Symbol | VIL2 | ||||||
| NCBI gene | 7430 | ||||||
| HGNC | 12691 | ||||||
| OMIM | 123900 | ||||||
| RefSeq | NM_003379 | ||||||
| UniProt | P15311 | ||||||
| Other data | |||||||
| Locus | Chr. 6 q22-q27 | ||||||
| |||||||
Ezrin, also known as cytovillin or villin-2, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EZR gene.
The N-terminus of ezrin contains a FERM domain which is further subdivided into three subdomains. The C-terminus contains an ERM domain.
The cytoplasmic peripheral protein encoded by this gene can be phosphorylated by protein-tyrosine kinase in microvilli and is a member of the ERM protein family. This protein serves as a linker between plasma membrane and actin cytoskeleton. It plays a key role in cell surface structure adhesion, migration, and organization.
The N-terminus domain (also called FERM domain) binds sodium-hydrogen exchanger regulatory factor (NHERF) protein (involving long-range allostery).[non-primary source needed] This binding can happen only when ezrin is in its active state. The activation of ezrin occurs in synergism of the two factors: binding of the N-terminus domain to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and phosphorylation of threonine T567 in the C-terminus domain. Binding to actin filaments (via C-terminus) and to membrane proteins (via N-terminus) stabilizes the protein's conformation in its active mode. The membrane proteins like CD44 and ICAM-2 are indirect binding partners of ezrin, while EBP50 (ERM binding protein 50) can associate with ezrin directly.
VIL2 has been shown to interact with: