title: The many faces of actin: matching assembly factors with cellular structures.
abstract: Actin filaments are major components of at least 15 distinct structures in metazoan cells. These filaments assemble from a common pool of actin monomers, but do so at different times and places, and in response to different stimuli. All of these structures require actin-filament assembly factors. To date, many assembly factors have been identified, including Arp2/3 complex, multiple formin isoforms and spire. Now, a major task is to figure out which factors assemble which actin-based structures. Here, we focus on structures at the plasma membrane, including both sheet-like protrusive structures (such as lamellipodia and ruffles) and finger-like protrusions (such as filopodia and microvilli). Insights gained from studies of adherens junctions and the immunological synapse are also considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
authors.forename: Ekta Seth
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Chhabra
authors.forename: Henry N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Higgs
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D011554:Pseudopodia / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins