actin

¹ American

[ak-tuhn] / ˈæk tən /

noun

Biochemistry.

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

actin- ² American

variant of actino- before a vowel.

actinism.

actin British

/ 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

"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

actin Scientific

/ 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.

Etymology

Origin of actin

1940–45; perhaps act + -in ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Actin achieves this by assembling into filaments, one actin molecule at a time.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023