FUNCTION: ACTINS ARE HIGHLY CONSERVED PROTEINS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN VARIOUS TYPES OF CELL MOTILITY AND ARE UBIQUITOUSLY EXPRESSED IN ALL EUKARYOTIC CELLS. * SUBUNIT: POLYMERIZATION OF GLOBULAR ACTIN (G-ACTIN) LEADS TO A STRUCTURAL FILAMENT (F-ACTIN) IN THE FORM OF A TWO-STRANDED HELIX. EACH ACTIN CAN BIND TO 4 OTHERS. * SUBCELLULAR LOCATION: Cytoplasmic. * MISCELLANEOUS: IN VERTEBRATES 3 MAIN GROUPS OF ACTIN ISOFORMS, ALPHA, BETA AND GAMMA HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. THE ALPHA ACTINS ARE FOUND IN MUSCLE TISSUES AND ARE A MAJOR CONSTITUENT OF THE CONTRACTILE APPARATUS. THE BETA AND GAMMA ACTINS CO-EXIST IN MOST CELL TYPES AS COMPONENTS OF THE CYTOSKELETON AND AS MEDIATORS OF INTERNAL CELL MOTILITY. * SIMILARITY: BELONGS TO THE ACTIN FAMILY. |
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22-JUN-00
Last Update 13-Mar-03