Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Aug;81(2):667-74.
doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(01)75731-1.

Thermodynamics and kinetics of actin filament nucleation

D Sept  1 , J A McCammon
Affiliations

Thermodynamics and kinetics of actin filament nucleation

D Sept et al. Biophys J. 2001 Aug.

Abstract

We have performed computer simulations and free energy calculations to determine the thermodynamics and kinetics of actin nucleation and thus identify a probable nucleation pathway and critical nucleus size. The binding free energies of structures along the nucleation pathway are found through a combination of electrostatic calculations and estimates of the entropic and surface area contributions. The association kinetics for the formation of each structure are determined through a series of Brownian dynamics simulations. The combination of the binding free energies and the association rate constants determines the dissociation rate constants, allowing for a complete characterization of the nucleation and polymerization kinetics. The results indicate that the trimer is the size of the critical nucleus, and the rate constants produce polymerization plots that agree very well with experimental results over a range of actin monomer concentrations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Mar 30;96(7):3739-44 - PubMed
    1. Cell. 1999 Apr 16;97(2):221-31 - PubMed
    1. Curr Biol. 1999 May 6;9(9):501-4 - PubMed
    1. Curr Biol. 1999 May 20;9(10):555-8 - PubMed
    1. Biophys J. 1999 Jul;77(1):373-85 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources