Actins are ubiquitously expressed proteins that are a major component of the cytoskeleton. Actin is expressed in heart and skeletal striated muscle tissue, and in certain smooth muscle tissues. It regulates motility and controls cells structure in both muscle and non-muscle cells (where it is present in the cytoplasm as well). Pan-actin antibodies can be used to identify actin expression and localization in normal and disease states. Pan-actin antibodies can be used to label myotubes, myoblasts and fibroblasts. They are useful for determining total actin levels to compare against the differential expression of specific actins in normal versus diseased tissue, such as kidney tissue in diabetes. References: Cytoskeleton (Hoboken). 2010 Nov;67(11):729-43, PMID: 20862689; Clin Proteom 8, 15 (2011) doi:10.1186/1559-0275-8-15; Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 2012. 11 (8): 255-271, DOI: 10.1074/mcp.M111.015099