Actin is a ubiquitous protein involved in the formation of filaments that are major components of the cytoskeleton. It is the monomeric subunit of microfilaments, one of the three major components of the cytoskeleton, and of thin filaments which are part of the contractile apparatus in muscle cells. It is the most abundant protein in the typical eukaryotic cell, accounting for about 15% in some cell types. The protein is highly conserved, and forms a huge variety of structure in cells in concert with a huge numbers of actin binding proteins. The actin filaments interact with myosin to produce a sliding effect, which is the basis of muscular contraction and many aspects of cell motility, including cytokinesis. The individual subunits of actin are known as globular actin (G-actin) that assembles into long filamentous polymers called F-actin. Two parallel F-actin strands twist around each other in a helical formation, giving rise to microfilaments of the cytoskeleton. Microfilaments measure approximately 7 nm in diameter with a loop of the helix repeating every 37nm. Each actin protomer binds one molecule of ATP and has one high affinity site for either calcium or magnesium ions,...