α-Actinin Antibody #3134

α-Actinin belongs to the spectrin family of cytoskeletal proteins. It was first recognized as an actin cross-linking protein, forming an antiparallel homodimer with an actin binding head at the amino terminus of each monomer. The α-actinin protein interacts with a large number of proteins involved in signaling to the cytoskeleton, including those involved in cellular adhesion, migration, and immune cell targeting (1). The interaction of α-actinin with intercellular adhesion molecule-5 (ICAM-5) helps to promote neurite outgrowth (2). In osteoblasts, interaction of α-actinin with integrins stabilizes focal adhesions and may protect cells from apoptosis (3). The cytoskeletal α-actinin isoforms 1 and 4 (ACTN1, ACTN4) are non-muscle proteins that are present in stress fibers, sites of adhesion and intercellular contacts, filopodia, and lamellipodia. The muscle isoforms 2 and 3 (ACTN2, ACTN3) localize to the Z-discs of striated muscle and to dense bodies and plaques in smooth muscle (1).