Filamin, a new high-molecular-weight protein found in smooth muscle and non-muscle cells.

A new high-molecular-weight protein, named filamin, was isolated from chicken gizzard. In chicken gizzard, filamin is present in an amount approximately 30-40% of that of myosin. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of highly purified filamin revealed a single polypeptide of about 250,000 daltons. Rabbit antibody directed against purified chicken gizzard filamin did not crossreact with myosin purified from the same source. By the use of microcomplement fixation and indirect immunofluorescent staining with antibodies to chicken gizzard filamin, an antigenically similar or identical protein was found to be widely distributed both in other organs of the chicken and in cultured cells of other species, but not in chicken skeletal muscle. In cultured cells, filamin was found largely to be arranged as a filamentous array very similar to that found for myosin. These data imply that filamin is a widely occurring and chemically conserved component of filaments is smooth muscle and non-muscle cells.