Tropomyosin

A recent review of one of my grant applications commented on the ??~rediscovery of tropomyosin'. I was tempted to write back in my rebuttal to the reviewer that I didn't realise it had been lost. Uncharacteristic maturity prevailed and I resisted the temptation, but I was struck by the underlying observation that research on the structure and function of tropomyosin has been somewhat invisible, particularly in terms of the cytoskeleton isoforms. So, how can it be that one of the two major components of the actin filament has been so thoroughly overlooked? I suspect that the answer is disappointingly pedestrian. Whereas the biochemistry of the 1980s revealed the potential of tropomyosin isoforms to diversify the function of actin filaments, the subsequent disenchantment with isoform biology in general in the 1990s inhibited growth of this field. With the development of more sophisticated experimental approaches we are now seeing a growing realisation of the importance of tropomyosin in regulating actin filaments beyond its pivotal role in muscle contraction. The opportunity to edit this book came at a time when we had written several reviews on different aspects of tropomyosin function and I had just finished the background reading for a comprehensive review of tropomyosin biology. I realised that the field was simply beyond the capacity of any one person to do the field justice. Therefore it was a comparatively easy task to look at all the major aspects of tropomyosin biology and identify the leaders in each area. Unfortunately it was not possible for all the major contributors to the field to write chapters; however every chapter is written by an expert in the area. It says something of those who work in the field that everyone who was approached enthusiastically agreed to contribute a chapter. Everyone recognised the importance of pulling the field together through this book and ensuring that each chapter would review the current status of their area and provide an insight into future research directions.I am particularly grateful to Sarah Hitchcock-DeGregori, David Wieczorek, Mario Gimona and David Helfman who worked through the concept of the book with me. They were very generous with their time and suggestions, and this is much appreciated.I am struck by how much I have learned reading these chapters, and the same view has been expressed to me by essentially all authors. All the authors have made the different areas very accessible and provide a current view of the field. It is my expectation that this will serve as the core source on this topic into the foreseeable future. It has captured the first 60 years of work in this field and shone a light into the immediate future. I hope that it is as useful to you as it has been to all of the authors.Finally, I want to thank Ron Landes for the opportunity to edit this book and the team at Landes Bioscience, particularly Cynthia Conomos, Celeste Carlton, Megan Klein and Erin O'Brien, for their help and patience. It has been a great pleasure to work on this with you.

PETER GUNNING, PhD, is Head of the Oncology Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, at the University of New South Wales located in Sydney, Australia. The primary focus of his research is the regulation of cell and tissue architecture and its modification in cancer. He is a member of numerous professional organisations and has served on the Boards of the NSW Cancer Council and Bio-Link Partners and as Chairman of the NSW Cancer Council and NSW Cancer Institute Research Committees. Peter received his academic degrees from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.