Actin-Binding Proteins and Disease

Abstract

The idea for this book arose from a lengthy review on actin and actin-binding proteins (ABPs) written by the editors in 2004 for Physiological Reviews (dos Remedios et al. 2003 Physiol. Rev. 83,433-473). At that time it emerged that there were a number of human diseases and disorders that involved either actin by itself, or was the result of altered assembly of the actin cytoskeleton produced by ABPs. This book is assembled into three sections. We begin with an overview of actin where we review the structure of this ubiquitous protein, the biophysics of actin polymerisation, and set the groundwork for a detailed discussion on how actin comes to play a role in human disease.