Actin Cell Cortex: Structure and Molecular Organization
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Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Reconstitution of Membrane-Tethered Minimal Actin Cortices on Supported Lipid Bilayers
Published on: July 12, 2022
1Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Abstract:
The actin cytoskeleton consists of structurally and biochemically different actin filament arrays. Among them, the actin cortex is thought to have key roles in cell mechanics, but remains a poorly characterized part of the actin cytoskeleton. The cell cortex is typically defined as a thin layer of actin meshwork that uniformly underlies the plasma membrane of the entire cell. However, this definition applies only to specific cases. In general, the cortex structure and subcellular distribution vary significantly across cell types and physiological states of the cell. In this review, I focus on our current knowledge of the structure and molecular composition of the cell cortex.
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