Cortactin was originally identified as a substrate of Src kinase. It is an actin regulatory protein that binds to the Arp2/3 complex and stabilizes branched actin filaments. It is involved in cellular processes that affect cell motility, adhesion, migration, endocytosis, and invasion. It is expressed ubiquitously except in hematopoietic cells, where the homolog hematopoietic lineage cell-specific 1 (HS1) is expressed instead. Cortactin contains an N-terminal acidic domain, several copies of a repeat domain found in cortactin and HS1, a proline-rich region, and a C-terminal SH3 domain. The N-terminal region interacts with the Arp2/3 complex and F-actin, and is crucial in regulating branched actin assembly. Cortactin also serves as a scaffold and provides a bridge to the actin cytoskeleton for membrane trafficking and signaling proteins that bind to its SH3 domain. Binding partners for the SH3 domain of cortactin include dynamin2, N-WASp, MIM, FGD1, among others. SH3 domains are protein interaction domains that bind to proline-rich ligands with moderate affinity and selectivity, preferentially to PxxP motifs. They play versatile and diverse roles in the cell including the regulation of enzymes, changing the subcellular localization of signaling pathway components, and mediating the formation of multiprotein complex assemblies.
Jiyao W et al.(2023). "The conserved domain database in 2023.",