Title |
The ADF/cofilin family: actin-remodeling proteins
|
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Published in |
Genome Biology, April 2002
|
DOI | 10.1186/gb-2002-3-5-reviews3007 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sutherland K Maciver, Patrick J Hussey |
Abstract |
The ADF/cofilins are a family of actin-binding proteins expressed in all eukaryotic cells so far examined. Members of this family remodel the actin cytoskeleton, for example during cytokinesis, when the actin-rich contractile ring shrinks as it contracts through the interaction of ADF/cofilins with both monomeric and filamentous actin. The depolymerizing activity is twofold: ADF/cofilins sever actin filaments and also increase the rate at which monomers leave the filament's pointed end. The three-dimensional structure of ADF/cofilins is similar to a fold in members of the gelsolin family of actin-binding proteins in which this fold is typically repeated three or six times; although both families bind polyphosphoinositide lipids and actin in a pH-dependent manner, they share no obvious sequence similarity. Plants and animals have multiple ADF/cofilin genes, belonging in vertebrates to two types, ADF and cofilins. Other eukaryotes (such as yeast, Acanthamoeba and slime moulds) have a single ADF/cofilin gene. Phylogenetic analysis of the ADF/cofilins reveals that, with few exceptions, their relationships reflect conventional views of the relationships between the major groups of organisms. |
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Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 4 | 2% |
Germany | 2 | 1% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 1% |
Portugal | 1 | <1% |
Austria | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 173 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 42 | 23% |
Researcher | 34 | 19% |
Student > Master | 24 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 19 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 13 | 7% |
Other | 25 | 14% |
Unknown | 26 | 14% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 42 | 23% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 6% |
Neuroscience | 9 | 5% |
Chemistry | 5 | 3% |
Other | 14 | 8% |
Unknown | 28 | 15% |