Actin

Actin is a globular, roughly 42-kDa multi-functional protein found in all eukaryotic cells (the only known exception being nematode sperm), where it may be present at concentrations of over 100 μM. It is also one of the most highly-conserved proteins, differing by no more than 20% in species as diverse as algae and humans. Actin is the monomeric subunit of two types of filaments in cells: microfilaments, one of the three major components of the cytoskeleton, and thin filaments, part of the contractile apparatus in muscle cells. Thus, actin participates in many important cellular processes, including muscle contraction, cell motility, cell division and cytokinesis, vesicle and organelle movement, cell signaling, and the establishment and maintenance of cell junctions and cell shape. Many of these processes are mediated by extensive and intimate interactions of actin with cellular membranes. In vertebrates, three main groups of actin isoforms, alpha, beta, and gamma have been identified. The alpha actins, found in muscle tissues, are a major constituent of the contractile apparatus. The beta and gamma actins coexist in most cell types as components of the cytoskeleton, and as mediators of internal cell motility.

Read more about ActinGenetics, Functions, History

Other articles related to "actin":

Actin, Alpha 1 - Interactions
... Actin, alpha 1 has been shown to interact with TMSB4X, MIB2 and PRKCE. ...
LCP1
... MGI 104808 HomoloGene 80174 GeneCards LCP1 Gene Gene Ontology Molecular function • actin binding • calcium ion binding • identical protein binding • actin ... Plastins are a family of actin-binding proteins that are conserved throughout eukaryote evolution and expressed in most tissues of higher eukaryotes ...
SVIL
... HomoloGene 25090 GeneCards SVIL Gene Gene Ontology Molecular function • actin filament binding Cellular component • podosome • nucleus • cytoplasm • plasma membrane • actin cytoskeleton • cell ... numerous consecutive sequences with extensive similarity to proteins in the gelsolin family of actin-binding proteins, which cap, nucleate, and/or sever actin filaments ... The gene product is tightly associated with both actin filaments and plasma membranes, suggesting a role as a high-affinity link between the actin ...
SSH3
... The ADF (actin-depolymerizing factor)/cofilin family (see MIM 601442) is composed of stimulus-responsive mediators of actin dynamics ... The SSH family appears to play a role in actin dynamics by reactivating ADF/cofilin proteins in vivo (Niwa et al ...
CFL2 (gene) - Function
... Cofilin is a widely distributed intracellular actin-modulating protein that binds and depolymerizes filamentous F-actin and inhibits the polymerization of monomeric G-actin in a pH-depen ... group of proteins that also includes cofilin-1 (CFL1) and destrin (DSTN), all of which regulate actin-filament dynamics ... where it exerts its effect on actin, in part through interactions with tropomyosins ...