Clues to how a cell moves

Using X-ray crystallography, investigators at Yale and the Salk Institute have solved the structure of Arp2/3, a complex of seven proteins that helps cells move. “Knowledge of the three-dimensional structure not only provides key insights about the Arp2/3 complex, but it will also elevate the level of research on cellular movements for years to come,” said principal investigator Thomas D. Pollard, Ph.D., the Eugene Higgins Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. The Arp2/3 complex initiates the assembly of the protein actin into filaments at the front end of a cell, which pushes the cell forward. The findings were published in the November 23 issue of Science.