Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Reconstituting and Characterizing Actin-Microtubule Composites with Tunable Motor-Driven Dynamics and Mechanics
Published on: August 25, 2022
Actin is the primary cellular receptor of bistramide A
Alexander V Statsuk1, Ruoli Bai, Jeremy L Baryza
1Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Abstract:
Bistramide A (1) is a marine natural product with broad, potent antiproliferative effects. Bistramide A has been reported to selectively activate protein kinase C (PKC) delta, leading to the view that PKCdelta is the principal mediator of antiproliferative activity of this natural product. Contrary to this observation, we established that bistramide A binds PKCdelta with low affinity, does not activate this kinase in vitro and does not translocate GFP-PKCdelta. Furthermore, we identified actin as the cellular receptor of bistramide A. We report that bistramide A disrupts the actin cytoskeleton, inhibits actin polymerization, depolymerizes filamentous F-actin in vitro and binds directly to monomeric G-actin in a 1:1 ratio with a Kd of 7 nM. We also constructed a fully synthetic9 bistramide A-based affinity matrix and isolated actin as a specific bistramide A-binding protein. This activity provides a molecular explanation for the potent antiproliferative effects of bistramide A, identifying it as a new biochemical tool for studies of the actin cytoskeleton and as a potential lead for development of a new class of antitumor agents.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Actin
Formation of Higher-order Actin Filaments
The high-order actin networks...
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
Actin Treadmilling
Actin Polymerization
The nucleation phase involves forming a stable nucleus consisting of three actin monomers to form a new actin filament. Actin-binding proteins such as formins and Arp2/3 complex help filament growth post-nucleation. The Formins form straight actin...
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Some...

