Actin Polymerization Kinetics Reference Table

P0 data table. All values verbatim from Pollard 2016 (CSHPB review). Page numbers refer to the MinerU markdown of the PDF at ~/BookLibrary/mineru-output/pollard2016/pollard2016/auto/pollard2016.md. Use this as the single citation when a script needs an actin rate constant; do not restate values in script comments without the page reference.

1 · Monomer-level reactions (§4)

ReactionRate / valueCitation
ATP binding to nucleotide-free Mg-actink_on = 6 µM⁻¹ s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.1] (De La Cruz & Pollard 1995)
ATP dissociation from Mg-actink_off ≈ 10⁻² s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.1]
Resulting ATP K_dnanomolar range[Pollard 2016, p.1]
Effect of free divalent cation chelation on k_off(ATP)↑ 20-fold[Pollard 2016, p.1]
Mg-ATP hydrolysis on free monomer7 × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.2] (Blanchoin & Pollard 2002)

2 · Nucleation (§4)

StepRate / valueCitation
Dimer dissociation~10⁶ s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.2] (Cooper 1983; Frieden 1983)
Trimer subunit dissociation~100 s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.2]
Stable nucleustetramer[Pollard 2016, p.2]

Two unfavorable steps (dimer formation, trimer formation) — Sept & McCammon 2001 model.

3 · End-specific elongation (§4, Fig. 2B)

EndNucleotidek_on (µM⁻¹ s⁻¹)k_off (s⁻¹)Critical conc. (µM)Citation
BarbedATP-actin~10 (diffusion-limited)~1~0.1[Pollard 2016, p.2] (Pollard 1986)
PointedATP-actin≪ barbed≪ barbed(asymmetric vs barbed)[Pollard 2016, p.2]
BothMg-ADP-actin1.8 (same at both ends)[Pollard 2016, p.2] (Pollard 1986)

Critical-concentration asymmetry is what enables treadmilling.

4 · ATP hydrolysis & Pi release on filament (§4, Fig. 3)

QuantityValueCitation
Mg-ATP hydrolysis on filament subunit0.3 s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.2] (Blanchoin & Pollard 2002)
Hydrolysis acceleration vs monomer~43,000-fold (= 0.3 / 7×10⁻⁶)[Pollard 2016, p.2]
γ-Pi dissociation half-time on filament~6 min[Pollard 2016, p.2] (Carlier & Pantaloni 1986)
γ-Pi dissociation rate constant~0.003 s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.2]
Pi rebinding k_on to ADP-actin filament~2 M⁻¹ s⁻¹[Pollard 2016, p.2]
Pi K_d (polymerized ADP-actin)~1 mM (pH-dependent)[Pollard 2016, p.2]

ADP-Pi-actin is therefore a long-lived intermediate with kinetics close to ATP-actin. Once Pi leaves, the subunit transitions to ADP-actin behavior (1.8 µM critical conc. at both ends).

5 · Treadmilling (§4)

QuantityValueCitation
Steady-state treadmilling rate< 1 subunit / sec[Pollard 2016, p.2] (Wegner 1976)
Mechanismnet barbed-end addition + net pointed-end loss; rate-limited by Pi-dissociation asymmetry[Pollard 2016, p.2]

Pointed-end Pi affinity is 10× weaker than barbed-end Pi affinity (Fujiwara 2007). Pointed ends therefore expose ADP-actin (high crit. conc.) before subunits are buried, driving net dissociation there.

6 · Cellular pools (§5)

QuantityValueCitation
Total cellular actin50–200 µM[Pollard 2016, p.2]
Unpolymerized fraction~50 % (25–100 µM)[Pollard 2016, p.2]
Free monomer concentrationsub-µM (most bound to profilin or Tβ4)[Pollard 2016, p.2]

Anti-fabrication notes

  • Pointed-end ATP-actin k_on / k_off: Pollard 2016 says “much slower” without giving the numbers in this review. Consult Pollard 1986 (already in vault as [[2026-04-23-pollard-1986-actin-rate-constants]]) or Fujiwara 2007 if exact values needed.
  • Pointed-end Pi affinity factor of 10: Pollard 2016 cites it as “10 times weaker than that of barbed ends” (p.2 §4). The original measurement is Fujiwara 2007 PNAS — not yet in vault. Retrieve before any model relies on the factor.
  • Profilin / thymosin-β4 partitioning: numbers and recipe live in [[Recipe — Profilin Thymosin-β4 Monomer Pool Partitioning]].

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