A protein that forms filaments in muscle cells and is essential for muscle contraction and cell movement.
From Greek aktis meaning 'ray' or 'beam,' named for the way actine filaments appear to radiate in cellular structures; the term emerged from 20th-century biochemistry.
Actin is one of the most abundant proteins in your body—it's in virtually every cell, and without it you couldn't move, your heart couldn't beat, or your cells could transport anything; it's literally the molecular machine that makes life move!
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