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The visualization of actin filament polarity in thin sections. Evidence for the uniform polarity of membrane-associated filaments.

The Journal of Cell Biology, 01 Dec 1978, 79(3):846-852
https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.79.3.846 PMID: 569662 PMCID: PMC2110270

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Abstract 

We have developed an improved method for visualizing actin filament polarity in thin sections. Myosin subfragment-1 (S-1)-decorated actin filaments display a dramatically enhanced arrowhead configuration when fixed in a medium which contains 0.2 % tannic acid. With the exception of brush borders from intestinal epithelial cells, the arrowhead periodicity of decorated filaments in a variety of nonmuscle cells is similar to that in isolated myofibrils. The periodicity of decorated filaments in brush borders is significantly smaller. Actin filaments which attach to membranes display a clear, uniform polarity, with the S-1 arrowheads pointing away from the plasma membrane, while those which comprise the stress fibers of myoblasts and CHO cells have antiparallel polarities. These observations are consistent with a sliding filament mechanism of cell motility.

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J Cell Biol. 1978 Dec 1; 79(3): 846–852.
PMCID: PMC2110270
PMID: 569662

The visualization of actin filament polarity in thin sections. Evidence for the uniform polarity of membrane-associated filaments

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Abstract

We have developed an improved method for visualizing actin filament polarity in thin sections. Myosin subfragment-1 (S-1)-decorated actin filaments display a dramatically enhanced arrowhead configuration when fixed in a medium which contains 0.2 % tannic acid. With the exception of brush borders from intestinal epithelial cells, the arrowhead periodicity of decorated filaments in a variety of nonmuscle cells is similar to that in isolated myofibrils. The periodicity of decorated filaments in brush borders is significantly smaller. Actin filaments which attach to membranes display a clear, uniform polarity, with the S- 1 arrowheads pointing away from the plasma membrane, while those which comprise the stress fibers of myoblasts and CHO cells have antiparallel polarities. These observations are consistent with a sliding filament mechanism of cell motility.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
  • Goldman RD. The use of heavy meromyosin binding as an ultrastructural cytochemical method for localizing and determining the possible functions of actin-like microfilaments in nonmuscle cells. J Histochem Cytochem. 1975 Jul;23(7):529–542. [Abstract] [Google Scholar]
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