Abstract
Paxillin is a well-characterized cytoplasmic adaptor protein that is known to play important roles in cytoskeletal rearrangement, cell adhesion, and cell motility. In addition to its structural functions, paxillin has more recently been shown to function as a regulator of cell division-mediating steroid-triggered meiosis in oocytes as well as steroid- and growth factor-induced proliferation in prostate and breast cancer. Paxillin mediates these processes through a conserved pathway that involves both extranuclear (nongenomic) and nuclear (genomic) steroid signaling, as well as both cytoplasmic and nuclear kinase signaling. In fact, paxillin appears to serve as a critical liaison between extranuclear and nuclear signaling in response to multiple stimuli, making it a fascinating molecule to study when trying to determine how growth signals from the membrane lead to important proliferative changes in the nucleus. This chapter outlines recent advances in understanding how paxillin regulates both steroid and growth factor signaling, focusing on the conserved nature of its actions from a frog germ cell to a human cancer cell.