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The great escape — how inorganic phosphate is released from actin filaments

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The release of inorganic phosphate (Pi) from actin marks old actin filaments for disassembly. By combining cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) with in vitro reconstitution and molecular dynamics simulations, we show how actin filaments release Pi through a ‘molecular backdoor’ and demonstrate that this arrangement is distorted in a disease-linked actin variant.

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Fig. 1: Atomic insights into Pi release from actin filaments.

References

  1. Merino, F., Pospich, S. & Raunser, S. Towards a structural understanding of the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 102, 51–64 (2020). A review article that describes the fundamental functions of actin filaments in cells and how they are regulated by ABPs.

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This is a summary of: Oosterheert, W. et al. Molecular mechanisms of inorganic-phosphate release from the core and barbed end of actin filaments. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-023-01101-9 (2023).

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The great escape — how inorganic phosphate is released from actin filaments. Nat Struct Mol Biol 30, 1621–1622 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-023-01102-8

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