Myosins are important in regulating the organisation of the actin cytoskeleton

Prostate cancer cells lacking myosin 19, myosin 9b or normal cells, stained for actin (magenta) and myosin 2A (green)

Our recent paper in Cell Reports (Makowska et al.,(2015) Cell Reports. 13, 2118-2125: link to article) shows that some myosins (myo1b, Myo9b, Myo10 and Myo18a) are overexpressed in metastatic prostate cancer. Specifically knocking down expression of each of these myosins result in the re-organisation of the actin cytoskeleton, and the type of reorganisation seen depends on which myosin has been depleted. Importantly, mis-regulation of myosin expression in these cells, helps to create the metastatic phenotype. (See also Michelle's recent review in Biochem. Soc. Trans (2016) on myosins in cancer http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/content/44/4/1026.long)