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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Femtosecond Laser Filaments for Use in Sub-Diffraction-Limited Imaging and Remote Sensing
Published on: April 25, 2019
The state of the filament
Adeleke H Aguda1, Leslie D Burtnick, Robert C Robinson
1Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala 751 23, Sweden.
Abstract:
Movement is a defining characteristic of life. Macroscopic motion is driven by the dynamic interactions of myosin with actin filaments in muscle. Directed polymerization of actin behind the advancing membrane of a eukaryotic cell generates microscopic movement. Despite the fundamental importance of actin in these processes, the structure of the actin filament remains unknown. The Holmes model of the actin filament was published 15 years ago, and although it has been widely accepted, no high-resolution structural data have yet confirmed its veracity. Here, we review the implications of recently determined structures of F-actin-binding proteins for the structure of the actin filament and suggest a series of in silico tests for actin-filament models. We also review the significance of these structures for the arp2/3-mediated branched filament.
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