Sequestered actin in chick embryo fibroblasts

Chick embryo fibroblasts contain about 75-100 mu M unpolymerized actin and at least four proteins which can bind actin monomers, actin depolymerizing factor (ADF), gelsolin, profilin, and thymosin beta(4) (T beta(4)). Fibroblast extracts are analyzed by non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting where most of the G-actin is detected as a complex with T beta(4). When fibroblast extracts are fractionated by gel filtration and the fractions are analyzed by PAGE and HPLC, most of the G-actin elutes in a peak that also contains T beta(4) at an overall molar ratio of 1.9:1 relative to actin. Gelsolin, profilin, and ADF are also detectable in the gel filtration eluate and at least partly coelute with actin, and account for only a minor fraction of the soluble actin pool. These observations indicate that under the growth conditions studied, T beta(4) is the major actin-sequestering protein in fibroblasts.