title: Supercoiling of f-actin filaments.
abstract: In the X-ray diffraction pattern from oriented gels of actin-containing filaments sampling of layer lines indicating the development of a well-ordered pseudo-hexagonal lattice within the gels at interfilament spacings as large as 13 nm is observed. This value exceeds by 3 nm the largest estimate of an external diameter of pure f-actin. The development of layer line sampling is always accompanied by: (i) the appearance of strong forbidden meridional reflections on the 5.9- and 5.1-nm layer lines; (ii) a drastic intensification of the first (expected) 2.75-nm meridional reflection by a factor of about 4; (iii) the appearance of streaks, connecting near-meridional reflections on the 5.9-, 5.1-, and 37-nm layer lines; and (iv) a slight decrease in the number of subunits per turn of the basic f-actin helix. All these features strongly indicate that f-actin filaments are supercoiled and make regular local contacts between themselves, which may lead to periodic distortions of the mobile external domain in the actin subunits.
authors: Institute of Biological Physics, USSR Academy of Science, Pouchino, Moskow Region.
authors: V V
authors: VV
authors: Lednev
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Popp
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000199:Actins