A 40,000-dalton protein from Dictyostelium discoideum affects assembly properties of actin in a Ca2+-dependent manner.

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Abstract
A 40,000-dalton protein that affects the assembly properties of actin in a Ca2+-dependent manner has been purified from D. discoideum. Gel filtration chromatography indicates that the native form of this protein is a monomer. A major effect of this protein is to reduce the sedimentability of F-actin in a stoichiometric fashion. Nearly complete loss of sedimentability is observed at ratios of the 40,000-dalton protein to actin of > 1:10. At low stoichiometries, this protein can accelerate the rate of actin assembly under certain experimental conditions. These effects of the 40,000-dalton protein on the actin assembly properties described above require Ca ion. The 40,000-dalton protein does not exert its effects by proteolyzing actin. Furthermore, peptide maps demonstrate that this protein is not a proteolytic fragment of actin.