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Aip1p Dynamics Are Altered by the R256H Mutation in Actin
Published on: July 30, 2014
DeActs: genetically encoded tools for perturbing the actin cytoskeleton in single cells
Martin Harterink1, Marta Esteves da Silva1, Lena Will1
1Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
The actin cytoskeleton is essential for many fundamental biological processes, but tools for directly manipulating actin dynamics are limited to cell-permeable drugs that preclude single-cell perturbations. Here we describe DeActs, genetically encoded actin-modifying polypeptides, which effectively induce actin disassembly in eukaryotic cells. We demonstrate that DeActs are universal tools for studying the actin cytoskeleton in single cells in culture, tissues, and multicellular organisms including various neurodevelopmental model systems.
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