title: Actinfilin, a brain-specific actin-binding protein in postsynaptic density.
abstract: The dynamic assembly and disassembly of actin-based cytoskeleton is closely linked to the changes in the postsynaptic density in both number and shape, which is thought to be important in forming long-term memory. Thus, regulation of actin filaments may play a critical role in contributing to the formation of long-term memory. Here, we report the cloning of actinfilin, a brain-specific Kelch protein, which interacts with F-actin. Actinfilin contains an amino-terminal POZ/BTB domain and carboxyl positioned six tandem Kelch repeats that presumably form six blades of beta-propeller structure of the Kelch domain. Co-immunoprecipitation analyses showed that the amino-terminal POZ domain mediated actinfilin-actinfilin interaction. The recombinant Kelch domain alone was sufficient to mediate binding to F-actin. Immunohistochemistry studies of rat brain sections suggested that actinfilin is broadly expressed in neurons of most regions of the brain. The subcellular localization of actinfilin was studied by biochemical fractionation and immunogold labeling. The results showed the postsynaptic density distribution of actinfilin. Together, these results indicate that actinfilin may be a key player in the actin-based neuronal function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, 725 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Derin
authors.forename: Ronald S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Petralia
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C033652:postsynaptic density proteins