The study, published online August 2, 2009, in the journal Nature, described how Yale University (New Haven, CT, USA) researchers looked at how two small molecules discovered by Cytokinetics, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA, USA) block the action of a major complex that directs the assembly of actin filaments, which produce the force to help cells move. The target of these inhibitors is the Arp2/3 complex, a cellular component so important that cells die without it. This dependence has made it challenging to learn precisely which cellular processes depend upon the complex.

Dr. Thomas Pollard, senior author the study and professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, reported that the inhibitors will allow scientists to switch the complex off and on, helping shed light on the mechanism of cell movement. Dr. Pollard noted that cell biologists “desperately need these tools to switch Arp2/3 complex off reversibly without killing the cells.” These inhibitors should help scientists determine how nerve cells grow processes to wire the nervous system, embryonic cells migrate to form organs, and white blood cells find bacteria.

Although the molecules were not useful to Cytokinetics as drug candidates, they are of great scientific interest to biologic researchers who study the movement of cells. Dr. Pollard’s team determined the crystal structures showing where both of the molecules settle to block the action of Arp2/3 complex.

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