Cytoskeleton

Actin is an abundant cytoskeletal protein involved in a variety of cellular processes such as cell motility, cell division, and muscle contraction. Actin monomers assemble into filaments and can provide a track for transport of cargo by the molecular motor myosin (1). Alternatively, interaction with myosin allows contraction between actin filaments. This contractility is essential during cell migration and cytokinesis (1). On a larger scale, organized scaffolds of actin filaments interact with myosin to provide mechanical force during muscle contraction (1).

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscle wasting condition, causing disability and early death. There is currently no cure or adequate treatment for DMD, but pioneering research indicates that injection of a laminin protein may prevent (or at least slow) this muscle degeneration.

Actins are an essential component of the cytoskeleton, with critical roles in a wide range of cellular processes, including cell migration, division, and regulation of gene expression. These functions are attributed to the ability of actin to form filaments that can rapidly assemble and disassemble according to the needs of the cell. There exist six different but highly conserved actin isoforms in vertebrates (1).

Myosin is a super family of actin based molecular motors that hydrolyze ATP and generate physical force to move specific molecules inside the cell. This super family, divided into at least twenty four classes based on head domain sequence similarity and domain organization^. The processivity of myosins along an actin filament and transport of intracellular ‘cargo’ are achieved by generating physical force from chemical energy of ATP followed by appropriate conformational changes (1).

A highly conserved, abundant protein found in practically all eukaryotic cells, actin is a monomeric subunit of skeletal muscle thin filaments, and cytoskeleton microfilaments. Actin antibody products are routinely used in cell marker and loading control assays. However, actin antibody reagents are also used for cytoskeleton, cell motility, cytokinesis and cell signalling research.

One of six actin isoforms so far identified, beta actin is a highly conserved cytoskeletal protein involved in cell structure, motility, and cohesion. We at Novus Biologicals have many different beta-actin products in our catalog, used in areas such as cytoskeleton and signal transduction research. They are also used as loading controls in protein assays. Beta-actin is known as a “housekeeping” protein, i.e.