Taking the A-train: actin-based force generators and organelle targeting
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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Mitochondrial Transformation in Baker's Yeast to Study Translation and Respiratory Complex Assembly
Published on: June 7, 2024
Kammy L Fehrenbacher1, Istvan R Boldogh, Liza A Pon
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street-P&S 12-425, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Abstract:
The actin-driven process of cytoplasmic streaming in plant cells is widely believed to be the earliest documented example of cytoskeleton-driven organelle movement. In the decades since these seminal findings, two mechanisms of actin-based intracellular movement have been identified in multiple cell types: one is myosin dependent and the other is dependent upon the Arp2/3 complex for actin nucleation and polymerization. Here, we describe mechanisms of force generation and directed movement that use the actin cytoskeleton, as well as those that target actin-dependent force generators to different subcellular compartments.
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