title: A vertebrate actin-related protein is a component of a multisubunit complex involved in microtubule-based vesicle motility.
abstract: Actin is a cytoskeletal protein which is highly conserved across eukaryotic phyla. Actin filaments, in association with a family of myosin motor proteins, are required for cellular motile processes as diverse as vesicle transport, cell locomotion and cytokinesis. Many organisms have several closely related actin isoforms. In addition to conventional actins, yeasts contain actin-related proteins that are essential for viability. We show here that vertebrates also contain an actin-related protein (actin-RPV). Actin-RPV is a major component of the dynactin complex, an activator of dynein-driven vesicle movement, indicating that unlike conventional actins which work in conjunction with myosin motors, actin-RPV may be involved in cytoplasmic movements via a microtubule-based system.
authors.affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York 11724.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lees-Miller
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Helfman
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Schroer
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000502:physiology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D008868:Microtubule Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D051381:Rats; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D008868:Microtubule Proteins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; C076834:centractin