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actin

   Also found in: Medical, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
ac·tin  (ktn)
n.
A protein found in muscle that together with myosin functions in muscle contraction.

[Latin ctus, motion; see act + -in.]

actin [ˈæktɪn]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biochemistry) a protein that participates in many kinds of cell movement, including muscle contraction, during which it interacts with filaments of a second protein, myosin
[from act + -in]

actin  (ktn)
A protein found in all eukaryotic cells, forming filaments that make up a main component of the cell's supporting matrix or cytoskeleton. Actin and the protein myosin together make up the contractile units (called sarcomeres) of skeletal muscle fibers.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.actin - one of the proteins into which actomyosin can be split; can exist in either a globular or a fibrous form
actomyosin - a protein complex in muscle fibers; composed of myosin and actin; shortens when stimulated and causes muscle contractions
simple protein - a protein that yields only amino acids when hydrolyzed


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Thickening of the actin filaments at the cell edge provided the bending force to extrude the virus particles.
When fueled with adenosine trisphosphate, or ATP, a common energy source in cells, the gold-plated actin strands crawled along a surface coated with a sister muscle protein called myosin.
Periodic acid-Schiff and a variety of immunohistochemical stains (smooth-muscle actin, desmin [figure 2], MyoD1, and myogenin) may help confirm the diagnosis.
 
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