Annexin V: the membrane-binding protein with diverse functions

Abstract

Annexin V is an eukaryotic protein from the annexin family which is able to reversibly bind to phospholipid membranes in a Ca 2+ -dependent manner. It possesses a complex mechanism of the membrane binding which includes the twodimensional lattice formation from annexin V trimers and significant variation of the membrane structure. The precise functions of annexin V are largely unknown, however, its participation in the blood coagulation, membrane repair process and the Ca 2+ channel activity is suggested. The usage of annexin V as a marker of phosphatidylserine-positive cells in in vitro and in vivo studies makes the understanding of the protein role in cellular processes critically important.The current review is focused on the structure of annexin V and the mechanism and kinetics of its membrane binding. The lipid specificity and the multimerization process will be described. Finally, some of the proposed annexin V functions including inhibition of the blood coagulation and the Ca 2+ transport activity will be discussed.