Actins are highly conserved, commonly found and abundant proteins involved in several types of cell motility as well as cytoskeleton maintenance. In vertebrate species, three main groups of actin isoforms, the alpha, beta and gamma, have been identified. Alpha actins are found in muscle tissues and are a major constituent of the contractile apparatus. Beta and gamma actins co-exist in most cell types as components of the cytoskeleton and mediators of internal cell motility. Actin antibodies have been used for basic studies such as classifying and identifying how different subtypes of plant plasmodesmata function in intracellular transport across cell and tissue boundaries (1). to determining the stoichimetry of Nck-/N-WASp (neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein)-dependent actin polymerization in processes such as tumor cell invasion, microbial pathogenesis, and T-cell activation (2). One novel application of actin antibodies is using them in single-staining flow cytometry coupled with immunohistochemistry to quantitate muscle fiber types and protein levels in heart and skeletal muscle biopsies (3).
-Immunocytochemistry-Immunofluorescence-NB100-74340-img0011.jpg "Immunocytochemistry/Immunofluorescence: Actin Antibody")
Another quantitative imaging cytometry technique employing actin antibodiesinvolves a reliable and automated method for the simultaneous measurement and correlation of a variety of cellular topographical parameters in adherent cells as a potential drug development screening assay (4). Most recently, Zoidakis, et. al. used expression profiles generated from actin antibodies along with other antibodies to validate the use of profiling as a biomarker for bladder cancer aggressiveness (5).
Novus Biologicals offers actin reagents for your research needs including:
