title: Actin and actin-binding proteins in higher plants.
abstract: The actin cytoskeleton is a complex and dynamic structure that participates in diverse cellular events which contribute to plant morphogenesis and development. Plant actins and associated actin-binding proteins are encoded by large, differentially expressed gene families. The complexity of these gene families is thought to have been conserved to maintain a pool of protein isovariants with unique properties, thus providing a mechanistic basis for the observed diversity of plant actin functions. Plants contain actin-binding proteins which regulate the supramolecular organization and function of the actin cytoskeleton, including monomer-binding proteins (profilin), severing and dynamizing proteins (ADF/cofilin), and side-binding proteins (fimbrin, 135-ABP/villin, 115-ABP). Although significant progress in documenting the biochemical activities of many of these classes of proteins has been made, the precise roles of actin-binding proteins in vivo awaits clarification by detailed mutational analyses.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. bidwm@cc.newcastle.edu.au
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: McCurdy
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kovar
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Staiger
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; C026742:plastin