Eukaryotic cells generate a diversity of actin filament networks in a common cytoplasm to optimally perform functions such as cell motility, cell adhesion, endocytosis and cytokinesis. Each of these networks maintains precise mechanical and dynamic properties by autonomously controlling the composition of its interacting proteins and spatial organization of its actin filaments. In this review, ...

Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) is a neuronal phosphoprotein that promotes net microtubule growth and actin cross-linking and bundling in vitro. Little is known about MAP2 regulation or its interaction with the cytoskeleton in vivo. Here we investigate the in vivo function of three specific sites of phosphorylation on MAP2. cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity disrupts the MAP2–microt...

The actin cytoskeleton is crucial for maintaining the morphology of many cells and for dynamic processes, such as cell migration. Thus, there is much interest in the internal and external cues that control actin dynamics. Small GTPases, such as Rac and Cdc42 (and the factors that regulate them), orchestrate the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton by modulating the activity of proteins that dir...

Muscle cell cultures from Drosophila melanogaster were obtained by plating dissociated gastrula stage embryo cells on protamine-treated culture dishes. They myogenic cells in these cultures fuse to form multinucleated pulsating cells by 15 hr after plating. An analysis of protein synthesis during myogenesis in these cultures, as measured by the incorporation of 35S-methionine and analyzed by tw...

Actin dynamics are implicated in various cellular processes, not only through the regulation of cytoskeletal organization, but also via the control of gene expression. In the present study we show that the Src family kinase substrate p130Cas (Cas is Crk-associated substrate) influences actin remodelling and concomitant muscle-specific gene expression, thereby regulating myogenic differentiation...

During cell division, cytoplasmic organelles are not synthesized de novo, rather they are replicated and partitioned between daughter cells. Partitioning of the vacuole in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is coordinated with the cell cycle and involves a dramatic translocation of a portion of the parental organelle from the mother cell into the bud. While the molecular mechanisms that...

Apoptosis is an important biological process required for the removal of unwanted or damaged cells. Mounting evidence implicates the actin cytoskeleton as both a sensor and mediator of apoptosis. Studies also suggest that actin binding proteins (ABPs) significantly contribute to apoptosis and that actin dynamics play a key role in regulating apoptosis signaling. Changes in the organization of t...