Annexins in Translational Research: Hidden Treasures to Be Found

The vertebrate annexin superfamily (AnxA) consists of 12 members of a calcium (Ca(2+)) and phospholipid binding protein family which share a high structural homology. In keeping with this hallmark feature, annexins have been implicated in the Ca(2+)-controlled regulation of a broad range of membrane events. In this review, we identify and discuss several themes of annexin actions that hold a potential therapeutic value, namely, the regulation of the immune response and the control of tissue homeostasis, and that repeatedly surface in the annexin activity profile. Our aim is to identify and discuss those annexin properties which might be exploited from a translational science and specifically, a clinical point of view.