How do actin filaments grow? Actin Filaments (F-actin) grow from the polymerization of G-actin monomers Actin is a highly abundant (10-100 micromolar on average),~42 kDa structural protein found in all eukaryotic cells (except for [...]

Actin Crosslinking Crosslinking of actin filaments is a critical step in cell motility and is a fundamental process in filopodia protrusion and lamellipodia formation. Smaller cross-linking proteins that are more globular (e.g. fascin) [...]

What factors regulate actin filament polymerization? Nucleation Promoting Factors (NPFs) (e.g. WASP, Scar/WAVE) modulate actin filament nucleation by bringing together actin monomers and pre-existing actin filaments, for example, during filopodial initiation where they recruit [...]

What factors influence actin filament length and treadmilling? Several factors influence actin filament length and treadmilling. ATP binding on G-actin and free ATP-G-actin concentration ATP-binding on actin subunits modulates the dynamics of filament assembly, [...]

What is the steady state phase of actin polymerization? In the steady state phase, the filament dynamics enter a state of equilibrium where monomer disassembly from the (-) end and polymerization at the (+) [...]

What is the role of cortactin in actin polymerization? Cortactin is a class II nucleation promoting factor (NPF) that binds to actin filaments and influences their stability. Cortactin specifically stabilizes Arp2/3-mediated branch points along [...]