Facilitator Questions

Recently, it was shown that bacteria also have proteins that are structurally homologous to the cytoskeletal proteins of eukaryotes. What differences between bacteria and eukaryotes might have misled researchers to previously assume that bacteria don’t have cytoskeletal proteins?

There is in vitro and in vivo evidence that capping protein promotes network assembly and accelerates actin-based motility in a concentration-dependent manner. Given what you know about capping protein, why are these observations paradoxical and how might they be explained?

The dynamic nature of actin filaments allow the cell to quickly respond to changing environmental conditions. Give an example of a cell responding to environmental cues.

The delivery of actin monomers to the site of leading edge protrusion is too fast to be explained by diffusion alone (Zicha et al. (2003). Rapid actin transport during cell protrusion. Science. 300: 142-145). How are actin monomers delivered to sites of active protrusion?