2016
Cations Stiffen Actin Filaments by Adhering a Key Structural Element to Adjacent Subunits
Hocky GM, Baker JL, Bradley MJ, Sinitskiy AV, De La Cruz EM, Voth GA. Cations Stiffen Actin Filaments by Adhering a Key Structural Element to Adjacent Subunits. The Journal Of Physical Chemistry B 2016, 120: 4558-4567. PMID: 27146246, PMCID: PMC4959277, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b02741.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsActin filamentsRegulatory proteinsD-loopSite-specific mutagenesisSpecific divalent cationsFilament severingStructural bioinformaticsAdjacent subunitsAccessible conformational spaceSubunit conformationActin subunitsKey structural elementsAmino acidsLarge-scale changesConformational spaceSubunitsFilament mechanical propertiesProteinFilamentsDivalent cationsMagnesium ionsMolecular dynamics simulationsConformationSitesCofilin
2012
Identification of cation-binding sites on actin that drive polymerization and modulate bending stiffness
Kang H, Bradley MJ, McCullough BR, Pierre A, Grintsevich EE, Reisler E, De La Cruz EM. Identification of cation-binding sites on actin that drive polymerization and modulate bending stiffness. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2012, 109: 16923-16927. PMID: 23027950, PMCID: PMC3479481, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1211078109.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCation-binding sitesActin assemblyEukaryotic biologyLong-pitch helixActin functionSalt-dependent effectsCell divisionCell motilityActin polymerizationFilament assemblyAdjacent subunitsIntracellular transportActin filamentsPhysiological salt concentrationsActin monomersCellular shapeNonspecific ionic strength effectsDiscrete sites