actin

[ ak-tuhn ]

nounBiochemistry.

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

Origin of actin

1940–45; perhaps act + -in²

Words Nearby actin

Other definitions for actin- (2 of 2)

actin-

variant of actino- before a vowel: actinism.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use actin in a sentence

In her postdoctoral research, she found that condensates enhance the polymerization of actin into filaments that help specialized kidney cells maintain their unusual shapes.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life | Viviane Callier | January 7, 2021 | Quanta Magazine
"Oi don't loike th' way he is actin', Frankie," whispered Barney.
Frank Merriwell's Bravery | Burt L. Standish
Can't you hear millions spoke of without actin' like a blasted whistlin' buoy?
Isle o' Dreams | Frederick F. Moore
And when he quit he went off toward home, slappin' his fists together and actin' as if he didn't see the road across his bows.
Cy Whittaker's Place | Joseph C. Lincoln
Ed was actin at Niblo's Garding, which looks considerable more like a parster than a garding, but let that pars.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. X (of X) - America - II, Index | Various

I don't know what them skunks think they can do, actin' in this way.
Motor Matt's Daring Rescue | Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for actin

actin

/ (ˈæktɪn) /

noun

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

Origin of actin

C20: from act + -in

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for actin

actin

[ ăk′tĭn ]

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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