scholarly journals Distribution of actin-binding protein and myosin in macrophages during spreading and phagocytosis.

1980 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
O I Stendahl ◽  
J H Hartwig ◽  
E A Brotschi ◽  
T P Stossel

Actin-binding protein (ABP) and myosin are proteins that influence the rigidity and movement, respectively, of actin filaments in vitro. We examined the distribution of ABP and myosin molecules in acetone-fixed rabbit lung macrophages by means of immunofluorescence. The staining for both of these proteins in unspread cells was quite uniform, but was reduced in the nucleus and concentrated slightly in the periphery. The peripheral accumulation of staining attenuated in uniformly spread cells, although filopodia and hyaline veils definitely stained. In cells fixed during ingestion of yeast particles, the brightest staining correlated with the disposition of organelle-excluding pseudopodia initially surrounding the yeast. After phagocytosis was complete and the yeasts resided in intracellular vacuoles, no concentration of staining around the ingested yeasts was detectable. We conclude that ABP and myosin molecules are components of the structural unit of the cell responsible for spreading and phagocytosis, the hyaline cortex, a region known to be rich in actin filaments. The findings are consistent with the theory that these molecules control the rigidity and movement of filaments in the periphery of the living macrophage.

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (02) ◽  
pp. 252-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M Aakhus ◽  
J Michael Wilkinson ◽  
Nils Olav Solum

SummaryActin-binding protein (ABP) is degraded into fragments of 190 and 90 kDa by calpain. A monoclonal antibody (MAb TI10) against the 90 kDa fragment of ABP coprecipitated with the glycoprotein lb (GP lb) peak observed on crossed immunoelectrophoresis of Triton X-100 extracts of platelets prepared without calpain inhibitors. MAb PM6/317 against the 190 kDa fragment was not coprecipitated with the GP lb peak under such conditions. The 90 kDa fragment was adsorbed on protein A agarose from extracts that had been preincubated with antibodies to GP lb. This supports the idea that the GP Ib-ABP interaction resides in the 90 kDa region of ABP. GP lb was sedimented with the Triton-insoluble actin filaments in trace amounts only, and only after high speed centrifugation (100,000 × g, 3 h). Both the 190 kDa and the 90 kDa fragments of ABP were sedimented with the Triton-insoluble actin filaments.


1980 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 841-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
J H Hartwig ◽  
J Tyler ◽  
T P Stossel

Branching filaments with striking perpendicularity form when actin polymerizes in the presence of macrophage actin-binding protein. Actin-binding protein molecules are visible at the branch points. Compared with actin polymerized in the absence of actin-binding proteins, not only do the filaments branch but the average length of the actin filaments decreases from 3.2 to 0.63 micrometer. Arrowhead complexes formed by addition of heavy meromyosin molecules to the branching actin filaments point toward the branch points. Actin-binding protein also accelerates the onset of actin polymerization. All of these findings show that actin filaments assemble from nucleating sites on actin-binding protein dimers. A branching polymerization of actin filaments from a preexisting lattice of actin filaments joined by actin-binding protein molecules could generate expansion of cortical cytoplasm in amoeboid cells.


2002 ◽  
Vol 159 (6) ◽  
pp. 993-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine L. Humphries ◽  
Heath I. Balcer ◽  
Jessica L. D'Agostino ◽  
Barbara Winsor ◽  
David G. Drubin ◽  
...  

Mechanisms for activating the actin-related protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) complex have been the focus of many recent studies. Here, we identify a novel mode of Arp2/3 complex regulation mediated by the highly conserved actin binding protein coronin. Yeast coronin (Crn1) physically associates with the Arp2/3 complex and inhibits WA- and Abp1-activated actin nucleation in vitro. The inhibition occurs specifically in the absence of preformed actin filaments, suggesting that Crn1 may restrict Arp2/3 complex activity to the sides of filaments. The inhibitory activity of Crn1 resides in its coiled coil domain. Localization of Crn1 to actin patches in vivo and association of Crn1 with the Arp2/3 complex also require its coiled coil domain. Genetic studies provide in vivo evidence for these interactions and activities. Overexpression of CRN1 causes growth arrest and redistribution of Arp2 and Crn1p into aberrant actin loops. These defects are suppressed by deletion of the Crn1 coiled coil domain and by arc35-26, an allele of the p35 subunit of the Arp2/3 complex. Further in vivo evidence that coronin regulates the Arp2/3 complex comes from the observation that crn1 and arp2 mutants display an allele-specific synthetic interaction. This work identifies a new form of regulation of the Arp2/3 complex and an important cellular function for coronin.


1983 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 1400-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Niederman ◽  
P C Amrein ◽  
J Hartwig

Purified muscle actin and mixtures of actin and actin-binding protein were examined in the transmission electron microscope after fixation, critical point drying, and rotary shadowing. The three-dimensional structure of the protein assemblies was analyzed by a computer-assisted graphic analysis applicable to generalized filament networks. This analysis yielded information concerning the frequency of filament intersections, the filament length between these intersections, the angle at which filaments branch at these intersections, and the concentration of filaments within a defined volume. Purified actin at a concentration of 1 mg/ml assembled into a uniform mass of long filaments which overlap at random angles between 0 degrees and 90 degrees. Actin in the presence of macrophage actin-binding protein assembled into short, straight filaments, organized in a perpendicular branching network. The distance between branch points was inversely related to the molar ratio of actin-binding protein to actin. This distance was what would be predicted if actin filaments grew at right angles off of nucleation sites on the two ends of actin-binding protein dimers, and then annealed. The results suggest that actin in combination with actin-binding protein self-assembles to form a three-dimensional network resembling the peripheral cytoskeleton of motile cells.


1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Rosenberg ◽  
A Stracher

Actin and actin-binding protein (ABP) have recently been purified from human platelet cytoskeletons (S. Rosenberg, A. Stracher, and R.C. Lucas, 1981, J. Cell Biol. 91:201-211). Here, the effect of ABP on the sedimentation of actin was studied. When ABP was added to preformed F-actin filaments, it bound until a maximum ratio of 1:9 (ABP:actin, mol:mol) was reached. however, when actin was polymerized in the presence of ABP, two and a half times more ABP was able to bind to the actin- that is, every 3.4 actin monomers were now bound by an ABP dimer. ABP was not able to induce the sedimentation of actin under nonpolymerizing conditions but was able to reduce the time and concentration of actin required for sedimentation under slow polymerizing conditions. ABP, therefore, exerts its effect of G-actin by either nucleating polymerization or by cross-linking newly formed oligomers into a more sedimentable form.


2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 649-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pirta Hotulainen ◽  
Eija Paunola ◽  
Maria K. Vartiainen ◽  
Pekka Lappalainen

Actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilins are small actin-binding proteins found in all eukaryotes. In vitro, ADF/cofilins promote actin dynamics by depolymerizing and severing actin filaments. However, whether ADF/cofilins contribute to actin dynamics in cells by disassembling “old” actin filaments or by promoting actin filament assembly through their severing activity is a matter of controversy. Analysis of mammalian ADF/cofilins is further complicated by the presence of multiple isoforms, which may contribute to actin dynamics by different mechanisms. We show that two isoforms, ADF and cofilin-1, are expressed in mouse NIH 3T3, B16F1, and Neuro 2A cells. Depleting cofilin-1 and/or ADF by siRNA leads to an accumulation of F-actin and to an increase in cell size. Cofilin-1 and ADF seem to play overlapping roles in cells, because the knockdown phenotype of either protein could be rescued by overexpression of the other one. Cofilin-1 and ADF knockdown cells also had defects in cell motility and cytokinesis, and these defects were most pronounced when both ADF and cofilin-1 were depleted. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis and studies with an actin monomer-sequestering drug, latrunculin-A, demonstrated that these phenotypes arose from diminished actin filament depolymerization rates. These data suggest that mammalian ADF and cofilin-1 promote cytoskeletal dynamics by depolymerizing actin filaments and that this activity is critical for several processes such as cytokinesis and cell motility.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 2314-2330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Shuangshuang Zhao ◽  
Tonglin Mao ◽  
Xiaolu Qu ◽  
Wanhong Cao ◽  
...  

1980 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Phillips ◽  
L Jennings ◽  
H Edwards

Membrane glycoproteins that mediate platelet-platelet interactions were investigated by identifying those associated with the cytoskeletal structures from aggregated platelets. The cytoskeletal structures from washed platelets, thrombin-activated platelets (platelets incubated with thrombin in the presence of mM EDTA to prevent aggregation) and thrombin- aggregated platelets (platelets activated in the presence of mM Ca(++) were prepared by first treating platelet suspensions with 1 percent Triton X-100 and 5 mM EGTA and then isolating the insoluble residue by centrifugation. The readily identifiable structures in electron micrographs of the residue from washed platelets had the shape and dimensions of actin filaments. Analysis of this residue from washed platelets had the shape and dimensions of actin filaments. Analysis of this residue by SDS gel electrophoresis showed that it consisted primarily of three proteins: actin (mol wt = 43,000), myosin (mol wt = 200,000) and a high molecular weight polypeptide (mol wt = 255,000) which had properties indentical to actin-binding protein (filamin). When platelets are activated with thrombin in the presence of EDTA to prevent aggregation, there was a marked increase in the amount of insoluble precipitate in the subsequent Triton extraction. Transmission electron microscopy showed that this residue not only contained the random array of actin filaments as seen above, but also organized structures from individual platelets which appeared as balls of electron-dense filamentous material approximately 1mum in diameter. SDS polyacrylamide gel analysis of the Triton residue of activated platelets showed that this preparation contained more actin, myosin and actin-binding protein than that from washed platelets plus polypeptides with mol wt of 56,000 and 90,000 and other minor polypeptides. Thus, thrombin activation appeared to increase polymerization of actin in association with other cytoskeletal proteins into structures that are observable after Triton extraction. The cytoskeletal structures from thrombin-aggregated platelets were similar to those from thrombin-activated platelets, except that the structural elements from individual platelets remained aggregated rather than randomly dispersed in the actin filaments. This suggested that the membrane components that mediate the direct interaction of platelets were in Triton residue from aggregated platelets. Only a small percentage of the membrane surface proteins and glycoproteins were found in the cytoskeletal structures from either washed platelets or thrombin-activated platelets. In contrast, the aggregated cytoskeletal structures from thrombin-aggregated platelets contained membrane glycoproteins IIb (26 percent of the total in pre-extracted platelets) and III (14 percent), suggesting that one or both of these glycoproteins participate in the direct interaction of platelets during aggregation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document