AdipoGen Life Sciences latrunculins

Microfilaments are composed of actin monomers that polymerise to form long, thin fibres and are one of the three main types of cytoskeletal filaments found within eukaryotic cells. They play several crucial roles, including maintaining the cell’s structural integrity, cell motility and adhesion, cell division and other cellular functions, which can affect various cellular responses, such as gene expression and cell growth.

The dynamic assembly and disassembly of microfilaments are regulated by a variety of proteins, including actin-binding proteins, which controls the polymerisation and depolymerisation of actin monomers, thereby allowing cells to reorganise their cytoskeleton in response to different stimuli.

Latrunculins are cell-permeable marine toxins that have been shown to strongly affect actin polymerisation. Latrunculins bind to actin monomers in a 1:1 ratio and prevent them from polymerising into filaments, leading to actin filament disassembly and the inhibition of new filament formation.

Latrunculins are used in molecular biology research to investigate the roles of actin in various cellular processes and have also shown potential in cancer research due to their ability to inhibit cell migration and invasion, associated with cancer cell metastasis.

To support lab benchwork, AdipoGen Life Sciences offers a complete panel of actin polymerisation modulators. This includes Latrunculin A and B, Cytochalasin B, H and J, Jasplakinolide, 16-epi-Latrunculin B and Sceptrin dihydrochloride. The latrunculins are distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Sapphire Bioscience.