actin

¹ American  

[ak-tuhn] / ˈæk tən /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a globulin that is present in muscle plasma and that in connection with myosin plays an important role in muscle contraction.

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actin- ² American  

1. variant of actino- before a vowel.

   actinism.

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actin British  

/ ˈæktɪn /

noun

1. a protein that participates in many kinds of cell movement, including muscle contraction, during which it interacts with filaments of a second protein, myosin

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actin Scientific  

/ ăk′tĭn /

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of actin

1940–45; perhaps act + -in ²

Example Sentences

However, when the researchers interfered with actin -- a protein that allows cells to contract and move -- hair growth slowed dramatically, dropping by more than 80 per cent.

From Science Daily

In many organisms, cells divide by building a ring made of the protein actin at the cell's midpoint.

From Science Daily

In people with Baraitser-Winter syndrome, a mutation affects one of two crucial actin genes.

From Science Daily

DIAPH1 helps form actin filaments, which are part of the cell's internal structure.

From Science Daily

This structure is a dynamic network of actin fibers that affects how stiff or tall the cells become.

From Science Daily