Profilins regulate Actin polymerization by binding to and sequestering the Actin monomer. Profilins act as a nucleotide exchange factor that charges Actin with ATP after binding the Actin monomer through a 1:1 stoichiometric relationship. Human Profilin-1 and Profilin-2 are encoded by two separate genes mapping to chromosomes 17p13.2 and 3q25.1, respectively. Both Profilin-1 and Profilin-2 are abundantly expressed in kidney. Profilin-1 is highly expressed in lung, liver, placenta and kidney while Profilin-2 is highly expressed in brain and skeletal muscle. In axonal and dendritic processes of mouse brain, Profilins co-localize with dynamin I and synapsin. Profilin may play a role in mediating cell adhesion. The overexpression of Profilin in endothelial cells results in increased adhesion to Fibronectin. In food allergy, plant Profilin is considered a pan-allergen. Case studies indicate individuals with allergies to various foods including celery, carrots, zucchini and peanuts are actually sensitive to the Profilin proteins in these foods.
