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Actin detected in Mouse Neuroblastoma Cells by Binding of Heavy Meromyosin

Abstract

HEAVY meromyosin (HMM) fragments of myosin from striated muscle specifically bind with actin filaments to form complexes that are readily observed by electron microscopy1 in both negatively-stained preparations and sectioned material. The composite or “decorated filaments” appear like a line of arrowheads. The existence of such decorated filaments in cells or some cell fraction after treatment with HMM indicates that actin is present. Ishikawa et al.2 used this to demonstrate actin in a number of cultured cell types. More recently, other workers have similarly demonstrated actin filaments in slime mould3, amoebae4,5, blood platelets6, microvilli7, macrophages8 and, less convincingly, in sperm tails9 and the mitotic spindle10. We prove here that filaments from the cortical region of mouse neuroblastoma cells bind HMM, and therefore contain actin.

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BURTON, P., KIRKLAND, W. Actin detected in Mouse Neuroblastoma Cells by Binding of Heavy Meromyosin. Nature New Biology 239, 244–246 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio239244a0

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