Cofilin, an indispensable, actin-regulating protein represents the 'cofilin family' of actin-binding proteins existing in a wide variety of organisms. Our previous and other in vitro studies have implied that cofilin can accelerate transformation of filamentous (F)-actin and (alpha)-actinin latticework into bundles, and overexpression of cofilin induces formation of F-actin bundles in Dictyoste...

SCD5 was identified as a multicopy suppressor of clathrin HC-deficient yeast. SCD5 is essential, but an scd5-Delta338 mutant, expressing Scd5p with a C-terminal truncation of 338 amino acids, is temperature sensitive for growth. Further studies here demonstrate that scd5-Delta338 affects receptor-mediated and fluid-phase endocytosis and normal actin organization. The scd5-Delta338 mutant contai...

Fluorescent derivatives of actin and actin-binding domains are powerful tools for studying actin filament architecture and dynamics in live cells. Growing evidence, however, indicates that these probes are biased, and their cellular distribution does not accurately reflect that of the cytoskeleton. To understand the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used live-cell probes--fluorescent protein...

Sla1p is a protein required for cortical actin patch structure and organisation in budding yeast. Here we use a combination of immunofluorescence microscopy and biochemical approaches to demonstrate interactions of Sla1p both with proteins regulating actin dynamics and with proteins required for endocytosis. Using Sla1p-binding studies we reveal association of Sla1p with two proteins known to b...

Many developmental processes rely on cortical actin dynamics; however, the mechanisms of its fine control at the cell cortex are still largely unknown. Our analyses demonstrate that the lipid- and F-actin-binding protein Abp1 is crucial for actin-driven bristle development in Drosophila melanogaster. Combined genetic, cell biological and biochemical analyses reveal that Abp1 triggers cortical A...