Site-specific cation release drives actin filament severing by vertebrate cofilin

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1413397111
• Publication Date: 2014-12-03T06:48:33Z
• Authors: Hyeran Kang; Michael J. Bradley; Wenxiang Cao; Kaifeng Zhou; Elena E. Grintsevich; Alphée Michelot; Charles V. Sindelar; Mark Hochstrasser; Enrique M. De La ...
• Keywords: Cofilin; Actin remodeling; MDia1; Actin-binding protein

Significance Cofilin is an essential actin regulatory protein that severs filaments, which accelerates network remodeling by increasing the concentration of filament ends available for elongation and subunit exchange. The molecular basis how cofilin binding interactions fragment have stiffness comparable to commercial laboratory plastics, remains a central unresolved mystery cellular cytoskeleton reorganization. In this study we demonstrate severing vertebrate driven linked dissociation single, site-specific cation controls structure mechanical properties, function in cells. This work establishes discrete with cations serve mediating fragmentation certain classes proteins.