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Actin-related protein 2/3 complex Overview

GO Annotations consist of four mandatory components: a gene product, a term from one of the three Gene Ontology (GO) controlled vocabularies (Molecular Function, Biological Process, and Cellular Component), a reference, and an evidence code.


Summary
Assembles branched actin networks capable of generating protrusive force and resisting mechanical deformation by stimulating new filament growth from the side of existing actin filaments associated with regions of the plasma membrane. Purified Arp2/3 complex is inactive but stimulates rapid actin polymerization in the presence of activator proteins, the most potent type being the VCA (Verprolin, cofilin, acidic) domain-containing Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) family members. The Arp2/3 complex appears to bind VCA and an existing actin filament in a cooperative manner. Upon activation, ARP2 and ARP3 move into the side-by-side arrangement of consecutive actin subunits along the short pitch helical axis of an actin filament, mimicking a filamentous actin dimer and creating a template for new filament assembly. The process appears to be ATP-dependent.
GO Slim Terms

The yeast GO Slim terms are higher level terms that best represent the major S. cerevisiae biological processes, functions, and cellular components. The GO Slim terms listed here are the broader parent terms for the specific terms to which this gene product is annotated, and thus represent the more general processes, functions, and components in which it is involved.

cytoskeletal protein binding, ion binding, biological process, cytoskeleton, organelle, intracellular non-membrane-bounded organelle