A synthetic peptide fragment of thymosin beta-4, researched for wound healing and tissue repair.
Experiment 1 involved genetically lean and obese gilts and barrows injected for 42 d with 0, 2, or 4 mg/d of porcine somatotropin (pST; n = 96). Blood was collected at 0, 6, and 24 h after the initial pST injection and thereafter every 2 wk. Experime…
Thymosin beta 4 is able to form 1:1 complexes with monomeric (G) actin, thereby stabilizing the intracellular pool of unpolymerized actin. We have searched for factors that are able to induce the polymerization of actin from the actin:thymosin beta 4…
Thymosin beta 4 (T beta 4), a peptide of 43 amino acids, binds to actin monomers and inhibits filament formation. In preparations of T beta 4 from bovine lung tissue, the peptide is accompanied by a derivative in which the methionine residue in posit…
Thymosin beta 4 forms a 1:1 complex with actin and thereby prevents polymerization. Rapid formation of filaments from this complex was observed, however, when actin trimers were added. Polymerization can likewise be initiated by the addition of one e…
Thymosin beta 4, a polypeptide of 5 kDa, is known to have capacity to regulate actin polymerization by binding to an actin monomer. Distribution of Xenopus laevis thymosin beta 4 (XT beta 4) in the developing Xenopus larva was examined by means of in…
Thymosin beta 4 is a major actin sequestering peptide in vertebrate cells and plays a role in the regulation of actin monomer/polymer ratio. Thymosin beta 9 and thymosin beta met9 are minor variants of thymosin beta 4. The possible function of these…
In motile non-muscle cells, G-actin sequestering proteins, capping proteins and profilin regulate actin assembly in response to extracellular signals. The regulation of actin sequestration/assembly is performed via the control of the concentration of…
The recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of gelsolin segment 1 and profilin provides new insights on how these proteins recognize actin. Although the picture is still incomplete and not all biochemical data are consolidated, the resu…
A fragment (11-19) of thymosin beta 4 was found to stimulate phosphodiesterase activity even in the absence of calcium and calmodulin. Half-maximal enzyme activation occurred with 10 nM peptide, and was further increased by phospholipids such as phos…
The beta-thymosins are a family of small proteins originally isolated from the thymus. Recently, two of the major mammalian isoforms, thymosin beta 4 (T beta 4) and thymosin beta 10 (T beta 10), are identified as significant actin monomer sequesterin…
Human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells grow in suspension, but after treatment with nM PMA the cells adhere and spread on glass or fibronectin [Jarvinen et al., 1987: Eur. J. Cell Biol. 44:238-246]. We observed an early (20-30 min) stage of spreading in w…
The structurally related small (< 5 kD) polypeptides, namely thymosins beta-4 and beta-10, were originally defined in the rat immune system. Previously it was shown that both the beta-4 and beta-10 genes are constitutively expressed at higher levels…
Actin filaments are major dynamic components of the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells. Assembly of filaments from monomeric actin occurs with expenditure of energy, the tightly bound ATP being irreversibly hydrolyzed during polymerization. This dissip…
We have analyzed by in situ hybridization the distribution of Fx (an actin-sequestering peptide) mRNA in the brain of young and old rats. The strongest Fx mRNA-specific hybridization signal was located in the hippocampo-entorhinal cortex; this mRNA w…
The platelet cytoskeleton contains two actin filament-based components. One is the cytoplasmic actin filaments which fill the cytoplasm and mediate contractile events. The other is the membrane skeleton, which coats the plasma membrane and regulates…
The role of profilin in the regulation of actin assembly has been reexamined. The affinity of profilin for ATP-actin appears 10-fold higher than previously thought. In the presence of ATP, the participation of the profilin-actin complex to filament e…
The conformational preferences of a 43-amino-acid G-actin-binding peptide, thymosin beta 4, in water at 1, 4 and 14 degrees C, and at pH 3.0 and 6.5 were studied by NMR. NMR showed that thymosin beta 4 lacks a uniquely folded conformation in water. H…
The beta 4- and beta 10-thymosins, recently identified as actin monomer-sequestering proteins, are developmentally regulated in brain. Using specific mRNA and protein probes, we have used in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques to in…
Thymosin fraction 5 (TF5) is a partially purified preparation of bovine thymus that affects the differentiation and function of T-cells in vitro. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that induces terminal maturation of B-cells and T-cell ac…