- Actin filaments, usually in association with myosin, are responsible for many types of cell movements.
- Myosin is a protein that converts chemical energy in the form of ATP to mechanical energy, thus generating force and movement.
- The most striking variety of such movement is muscle contraction, which has provided the model for understanding actin-myosin interactions and the motor activity of myosin molecules.
- Interactions of actin and myosin are responsible not only for muscle contraction but also for a variety of movements of non-muscle cells, including cell division, so these interactions play a central role in cell biology.
Cooper GM. The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2000. Actin, Myosin, and Cell Movement. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9961/
Lodish H, Berk A, Zipursky SL, et al. Molecular Cell Biology. 4th edition. New York: W. H. Freeman; 2000. Section 18.3, Myosin: The Actin Motor Protein. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21724/