title: Putting a new twist on actin: ADF/cofilins modulate actin dynamics.
abstract: The actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilins are a family of essential actin regulatory proteins, ubiquitous among eukaryotes, that enhance the turnover of actin by regulating the rate constants of polymerization and depolymerization at filament ends, changing the twist of the filament and severing actin filaments. Genetic and cell-biological studies have shown that an ADF/cofilin is required to drive the high turnover of the actin cytoskeleton observed in vivo. The activity of ADF/cofilin is regulated by a variety of mechanisms, including specific phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. This review addresses aspects of ADF/cofilin structure, dynamics, regulation and function.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. jbamburg@lamar.colostate.edu
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bamburg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McGough
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ono
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051339:Actin Depolymerizing Factors; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D051345:Destrin; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014335:Tropomyosin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051339:Actin Depolymerizing Factors; D000199:Actins; D051345:Destrin; C495825:Dstn protein, mouse; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014335:Tropomyosin