Mactinin, a fragment of cytoskeletal alpha-actinin, is a novel inducer of heat shock protein (Hsp)-90 mediated monocyte activation.

Background: Monocytes, their progeny such as dendritic cells and osteoclasts and products including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1alpha and IL-1beta play important roles in cancer, inflammation, immune response and atherosclerosis. We previously showed that mactinin, a degradative fragment of the cytoskeletal protein alpha-actinin, is present at sites of monocytic activation in vivo, has chemotactic activity for monocytes and promotes monocyte/macrophage maturation. We therefore sought to determine the mechanism by which mactinin stimulates monocytes.