G actin

Wriggers and Schulten, 1997b] Wriggers, W., and Schulten, K. Stability and dynamics of G-actin Back door water diffusion and behavior of a subdomain 3/4 loop. Biophys. J. 73 (1997b) 624-639... 

The F-actin helix has 13 molecules of G-actin in six turns of the helix, repeating every 360 A. Oriented gels of actin fibers yield x-ray fiber diffraction patterns to about 6 A resolution. Knowing the atomic structure of G-actin it was possible for the group of Ken Holmes to determine its orientation in the F-actin fiber, and thus arrive at an atomic model of the actin filament that best accounted for the fiber diffraction pattern. 

Figure 14.13 Stmcture of G-actin. Two a/P-domains, (red and green) bind an ATP molecuie between them. Tbis ATP is hydrolyzed when the actin monomer polymerizes to F-actin.

Another subfamily of ADP-iibosylating toxins modifies G-actin (at Argl77), thereby inhibiting actin polymerization. Members of this family are, for example, C. botulinum C2 toxin and Clostridium perfringens iota toxin. These toxins are binary in structure. They consist of an enzyme component and a separate binding component, which is structurally related to the binding component of anthrax toxin [3]. 

Cytochalasins B and D are used as tools to study F-actin. Cytochalasins bind to the barbed end of F-actin and block the addition as well as dissociation of G-actin at that end. When applied to cultured cells micromolar concentrations of cytochalasins remove stress fibres and other F-actin structures. 

The cy tochalasins A, B, C, D, E, and H are found in various species of mould. Mainly cytochalasin B and D are used as experimental tools. Cytochalasin D is 10 times more potent, acting at concentrations between 2 and 35 nM in cell-free systems. Cy tochalasins bind to the barbed end of F-actin and block the addition as well as dissociation of G-actin at that end. At micromolar concentrations, cytochalasin D can bind to G-actin and actin dimers and thus block additional polymerization. When applied to cultured cells, micromolar concentrations of cytochalasins remove stress fibres and other F-actin structures. 

Latrunculins A and B are macrolides from the sponge Latrunculia magnified. Latrunculin A (>50 11M) binds close to the nucleotide binding site of G-actin and blocks the assembly with F-actin without promoting disassembly. 

G-actin (globular actin) has a molecular weight of about 42 kDa. In higher vertebrates, six isoforms of G-actin, which contain 374/375 residues, are expressed in a cell-specific manner. They are present in striated muscle cells (skeletal and cardiac isoforms), smooth muscle cells (vascular and visceral isoforms) and in non-muscle cells (two isoforms). 

FYVE Domain Fz Receptors G-actin G-Proteins GABA... 

Blood platelets are key players in the blood-clotting mechanism. These tiny fragments of cytoplasm are shed into the circulation from the surface of megakaryocytes located in the bone marrow. When the lining of a blood vessel is injured, activated platelets release clotting factors, adhere to each other and to damaged surfaces, and send out numerous filopodia. The shape changes that occur in activated platelets are the result of actin polymerization. Before activation, there are no microfilaments because profilin binds to G-actin and prevents its polymerization. After activation, profilin dissociates from G-actin, and bundles and networks of F-actin filaments rapidly appear within the platelet. 

Myosin Subftagment-I Interacts With Two G-Actin Molecules Oligomers of G-Actin and S] Are the Second Intennediates in F-Actin-Si Assembly Conclusion... 

Possible modes of regulation of filament assembly may be anticipated from the basic properties of actin. We have shown that the tightly bound divalent metal ion (Ca or Mg ) interacts with the P- and y-phosphates of ATP bound to actin, and that the Me-ATP bidentate chelate is bound to G-actin in the A configuration. The nature of the bound metal ion affects the conformation of actin, the binding kinetics of ATP and ADP, and the rate of ATP hydrolysis. 

The above observations are inconsistent with a simple two-state polymerization model within which only two species, ATP-G-actin and ADP-F-actin, coexist in solution. 

In the three-dimensional stmcture of actin, the environment of the phosphate moiety of the nucleotide appears roughly the same when CaADP or CaATP is bound. This observation argues against two different conformations. The reason why this is so is unclear. However, it must be stressed that the three-dimensional stmcture is derived from X-ray diffraction of crystals of the DNasel-actin complex, which, like G-actin, is unable to hydrolyze ATP. The conformation obtained may therefore correspond to G-actin frozen in the G-ATP state independently of the bound nucleotide. Stmctural studies in conjunction with site-directed mutagenesis experiments should eventually solve this problem. 

Because ATP hydrolysis on F-actin takes place with a delay following the incorporation of ATP-subunits, and because in the transient F-ATP state filaments are more stable than in the final F-ADP state, polymerization under conditions of sonication can be complete, within a time short enough for practically all subunits of the filaments to be F-ATP. At a later stage, as Pj is liberated, the F-ADP filament becomes less stable and loses ADP-subunits steadily. The G-ADP-actin liberated in solution is not immediately converted into easily polymerizable G-ATP-actin, because nucleotide exchange on G-actin is relatively slow, and is not able to polymerize by itself unless a high concentration (the critical concentration of ADP-actin) is reached. Therefore, G-ADP-actin accumulates in solution. A steady-state concentration of G-ADP-actin is established when the rate of depolymerization of ADP-actin (k [F]) is equal to the sum of the rates of disappearance of G-ADP-actin via nucleotide exchange and association to filament ends. [G-ADP]ss in this scheme is described by the following equation (Pantaloni et al., 1984) ... 

The fact that the concentration of G-actin at steady-state in the presence of ATP varies with the number of filaments may have some biological significance indeed, in cells, large pools of G-ADP-actin may accumulate in regions where a large number of short filaments exist. This behavior is the direct consequence of two combined features of actin polymerization namely, the hydrolysis of ATP, and the relatively slow rate of ATP exchange for ADP on G-actin. 

The myosin head has long been shown to induce, even in low ionic strength buffers, polymerization of G-actin into decorated F-actin-S i filaments that exhibit the classical arrowhead structure (Miller et al., 1988 and older references therein). However, to date, the molecular mechanism of this polymerization process remains unknown. 

In an effort to understand how actin-actin interactions might be affected by the binding of the myosin head, and in order to gain more insight into the nature of the actin-myosin interface, we have investigated the nature of the kinetic actin-myosin intermediates involved in the process of S)-induced polymerization of G-actin. For this purpose, a variety of fluorescent probes (e.g., pyrene, NBD, AEDANS) have been covalently attached to the C-terminus of G-actin to probe the G-actin-S] interaction under conditions of tightest binding, i.e., in the absence of ATP. 

Myosin Subfragment-1 Interacts With Two G-Actin Molecules... 

The kinetics of F-actin-Si assembly from G-actin and Si via nucleation of actin filaments, followed by Si binding are not observed in a low ionic strength medium. Instead, the mechanism involves condensation of high affinity (G-actin)2 S complexes rapidly preformed in solution. Assembly of F-actin-Si in the presence of Si > G-actin is a quasi-irreversible process. This mechanism is therefore different from that involving the assembly of F-actin filaments, which is characterized by the initial, energetically unfavorable formation of a small number of nuclei representing a minute fraction of the population of actin molecules, followed by endwise elongation from G-actin subunits. 

Chaussepied, P. Kasprzak, A.A. (1989). Isolation and characterization of the G-actin-myosin head complex. Namre 342,950-953. 

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