Immunolabeling of Cells Grown Attached to a Substratum or in Suspension with Actin Antibodies

Actin is a major component of all eukaryotic cells and is highly conserved across species. The different isoforms of actin show a very high degree of homology, and almost all actins bind cytochalasins, phallotoxins, and DNase I. Actin is important for maintaining cell shape and for myosin-based movements in cells. In addition, the actin cytoskeleton is involved in localization of other molecules in the cytoplasm and in cellular compartmentalization. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies with different specificities are commercially available for labeling actin-containing structures in cells. This article describes a protocol for immunolabeling actin that works well for cells grown in tissue culture as monolayers and for cells grown in suspension cultures that can be attached to polylysine-coated coverslips.