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Updated: Mar 22, 2026

A Time-Efficient Fluorescence Spectroscopy-Based Assay for Evaluating Actin Polymerization Status in Rodent and Human Brain Tissues
Published on: June 3, 2021
Unravelling a new mechanism linking actin polymerization and gene transcription
Susanne Muehlich1, Constanze Hermanns1, Melanie A Meier1
1a Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Ludwig-Maximilians-University , Munich , Germany.
Abstract:
In the recent years, the role of actin and actin-binding proteins in gene transcription has received considerable attention. Nuclear monomeric and polymerized actin and several actin binding proteins have been detected in the mammalian cell nucleus, although their roles in transcription are just beginning to emerge. Our group recently reported that the actin-binding protein Filamin A interacts with the transcriptional coactivator MKL1 to link actin polymerization with transcriptional activity of Serum Response Factor. Here we summarize the regulation and function of MKL1, and highlight this novel mechanism of MKL1 regulation through binding to Filamin A and its implications for cell migration.
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