Contractile basis of ameboid movement. VII. The distribution of fluorescently labeled actin in living amebas.

The technique of molecular cytochemistry has been used to follow the distribution of fluorescently labeled actin in living Chaos carolinensis and Amoeba proteus during ameboid movement and various cellular processes. The distribution of 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein-labeled actin was compared with that of Lissamine rhodamine B sulfonyl chloride-labeled ovalbumin microinjected into the same cell and recorded with an image intensification microscope system. Actively motile cells demonstrated a rather uniform distribution of actin throughout most of the cytoplasm, except in the tail ectoplasm and in plasma gel sheets, where distinct actin structures were observed. In addition, actin-containing structures were induced in the cortex during wound healing, concanavalin A capping, pinocytosis, and contractions elicited by phalloidin injections. The formation of distinct fluorescent actin structures has been correlated with contractile activities.