Molecular cytochemistry: incorporation of fluorescently labeled actin into living cells

Actin labeled with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein has been incorporated into the functional pool of actin in Chaos carolinensis and Physarum polycephalum by direct microinjection. The functional activity of the labeled actin has been analyzed at three levels of organization as: (a) with the purified actin, (b) in motile extracts of cells, and (c) in living motile cells. The labeled actin exhibited normal polymerization and activated myosin ATPase to a similar extent as unlabeled controls. Labeled actin and endogenous actin were incorporated into contracted pellets to approximately the same extent in motile cell extracts. After labeled actin had been microinjected into single C. carolinensis cells, the fluorescent actin spread into both the endoplasm and etoplasm without forming distinct fibrils. In contrast, fluorescent bundles developed in the ectoplasm of P. polycephalum following microinjection of labeled actin. This experimental method in conjunction with fluorescence spectroscopic techniques could become a powerful tool for studying the intracellular distribution and structural changes of components in living cells.