title: The nucleation-release model of actin filament dynamics in cell motility.
abstract: The actin cytoskeleton is intimately involved in the motile behaviour of animal cells. The structure and dynamic behaviour of actin and its binding proteins have been intensively studied in vitro over the past several decades, culminating in achievements such as an atomic model of the actin filament. Despite this progress, it is not yet clear how the behaviour of these purified proteins in vitro relates to the dynamic behaviour of actin inside living, moving cells. Here we discuss a new model that relates the known dynamic parameters for pure actin to the observed behaviour of actin filaments inside motile cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Theriot
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mitchison