β-Actin specifically controls cell growth, migration, and the G-actin pool
Ubiquitously expressed β-actin and γ-actin isoforms play critical roles in most cellular processes; however, their unique contributions are not well understood. We generated whole-body β-actin-knockout (Actb(-/-)) mice and demonstrated that β-actin is required for early embryonic development. Lethal...
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Published in | Molecular biology of the cell Vol. 22; no. 21; pp. 4047 - 4058 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
The American Society for Cell Biology
01.11.2011
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Series | A Highlights from |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Ubiquitously expressed β-actin and γ-actin isoforms play critical roles in most cellular processes; however, their unique contributions are not well understood. We generated whole-body β-actin-knockout (Actb(-/-)) mice and demonstrated that β-actin is required for early embryonic development. Lethality of Actb(-/-) embryos correlated with severe growth impairment and migration defects in β-actin-knockout primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) that were not observed in γ-actin-null MEFs. Migration defects were associated with reduced membrane protrusion dynamics and increased focal adhesions. We also identified migration defects upon conditional ablation of β-actin in highly motile T cells. Of great interest, ablation of β-actin altered the ratio of globular actin (G-actin) to filamentous actin in MEFs, with corresponding changes in expression of genes that regulate the cell cycle and motility. These data support an essential role for β-actin in regulating cell migration and gene expression through control of the cellular G-actin pool. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1059-1524 1939-4586 |
DOI: | 10.1091/mbc.E11-06-0582 |