Amphoterin as an extracellular regulator of cell motility: from discovery to disease.

Amphoterin is a ubiquitous and highly conserved protein previously considered solely as a chromatin-associated, nuclear molecule. Amphoterin is released into the extracellular space by various cell types, and plays an important role in the regulation of cell migration, differentiation, tumorigenesis and inflammation. This paper reviews recent research on the mechanistic background underlying the biology of secreted amphoterin, with an emphasis on the role of amphoterin as an autocrine/paracrine regulator of cell migration.