Actin microfilaments in fungi

Abstract

The cytoskeletal protein actin is among the most abundant proteins in nature. It is almost ubiquitous, occurring in all eukaryotes and in an ancestral form in prokaryotes. Actin monomers can polymerise to form microfilaments, structures that play a critical role in a number of fundamental cell processes in fungi such as morphogenesis, cytokinesis and the movement of organelles. Microfilaments are extremely dynamic structures and can be rapidly modified through their interactions with a number of actin binding proteins (ABPs). The purpose of the following review is to introduce actin and microfilaments in fungi to a general mycological audience and to provide a basic framework from which further study is possible.