Centractin is an actin homologue associated with the centrosome.
Actin is one of the most ubiquitous, abundant and well-conserved proteins of eukaryotes, participating in many crucial cellular processes including the maintenance of cell shape, motility and cell division. Actins from the most divergent sources still share amino-acid identities in excess of 70% (ref. 3). This may well explain why low-abundance homologues of actin have been difficult to isolate. Genes encoding distant relatives of actin in budding and fisson yeast have now been cloned. We report here the discovery of a vertebrate actin-like protein, which we name centractin. A full-length complementary DNA clone was isolated whose sequence reveals amino-acid identities with actin of over 50%, increasing to more than 70% when conservative amino-acid changes are considered. Northern analysis and western blotting indicate a ubiquitous tissue and species distribution. Morphological and biochemical criteria show that centractin is associated with centrosomes.
Department of Biological Chemistry, UCLA School of Medicine.
S W
SW
Clark
D I
DI
Meyer
D000199:Actins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004285:Dogs; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D015723:Gene Library; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism*; D011061:Poly A / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D000199:Actins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C076834:centractin; D011061:Poly A