Although profilin is believed to be an essential regulator of the actin cytoskeleton in most cells, its precise role in mammalian cells remains unknown. We have used replication-incompetent adenovirus carrying the human profilin I cDNA as a means rapidly to increase the concentration of profilin in human aortic endothelial cells 12-31-fold above baseline--levels never before achieved in mammalian cells.
