Description
Phalloidin is a fungal toxin isolated from the poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides. Its toxicity is attributed to the ability to bind F-actin in liver and muscle cells. As a result of binding phalloidin, actin filaments become strongly stabilized. Phalloidin has been found to bind only to polymeric and oligomeric forms of actin, and not to monomeric actin.Fluorescent conjugates of phalloidin are commonly used to label actin filaments for immunocytochemical and immunohistochemical applications. Both rhodamine and fluorescein labeled phalloidin can be used to localize and quantify actin filaments in cells and tissues