scholarly journals A Lipid-signaled Myosin Phosphatase Surge Disperses Cortical Contractile Force Early in Cell Spreading

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangwei Du ◽  
Michael A. Frohman
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Attachment ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Myosin Phosphatase ◽  
Phospholipase D2 ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Contraction And Relaxation ◽  
Membrane Signaling ◽  
Novel Model

When cells cease migrating through the vasculature, adhere to extracellular matrix, and begin to spread, they exhibit rapid changes in contraction and relaxation at peripheral regions newly contacting the underlying substrata. We describe here a requirement in this process for myosin II disassembly at the cell cortex via the action of myosin phosphatase (MP), which in turn is regulated by a plasma membrane signaling lipid. Cells in suspension exhibit high levels of activity of the signaling enzyme phospholipase D2 (PLD2), elevating production of the lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid (PA) at the plasma membrane, which in turn recruits MP and stores it there in a presumed inactive state. On cell attachment, down-regulation of PLD2 activity decreases PA production, leading to MP release, myosin dephosphorylation, and actomyosin disassembly. This novel model for recruitment and restraint of MP provides a means to effect a rapid cytoskeletal reorganization at the cell cortex upon demand.

scholarly journals A Novel Regulatory Mechanism of Myosin Light Chain Phosphorylation via Binding of 14-3-3 to Myosin Phosphatase

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 1062-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuhiko Koga ◽  
Mitsuo Ikebe
Keyword(s):  
Light Chain ◽  
Myosin Light Chain ◽  
Regulatory Mechanism ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Rho Kinase ◽  
Myosin Phosphatase ◽  
Dependent Cell ◽  
Direct Binding

Myosin II phosphorylation–dependent cell motile events are regulated by myosin light-chain (MLC) kinase and MLC phosphatase (MLCP). Recent studies have revealed myosin phosphatase targeting subunit (MYPT1), a myosin-binding subunit of MLCP, plays a critical role in MLCP regulation. Here we report the new regulatory mechanism of MLCP via the interaction between 14-3-3 and MYPT1. The binding of 14-3-3β to MYPT1 diminished the direct binding between MYPT1 and myosin II, and 14-3-3β overexpression abolished MYPT1 localization at stress fiber. Furthermore, 14-3-3β inhibited MLCP holoenzyme activity via the interaction with MYPT1. Consistently, 14-3-3β overexpression increased myosin II phosphorylation in cells. We found that MYPT1 phosphorylation at Ser472 was critical for the binding to 14-3-3. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation increased both Ser472 phosphorylation and the binding of MYPT1-14-3-3. Rho-kinase inhibitor inhibited the EGF-induced Ser472 phosphorylation and the binding of MYPT1-14-3-3. Rho-kinase specific siRNA also decreased EGF-induced Ser472 phosphorylation correlated with the decrease in MLC phosphorylation. The present study revealed a new RhoA/Rho-kinase–dependent regulatory mechanism of myosin II phosphorylation by 14-3-3 that dissociates MLCP from myosin II and attenuates MLCP activity.

An ultrastructural study of the effects of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) on cell cortex organization during the first cleavage of Xenopus laevis eggs. II. Cortical wound healing

1979 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67
Author(s):  
M. Geuskens ◽  
R. Tencer
Keyword(s):  
Wound Healing ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Xenopus Laevis ◽  
Ultrastructural Study ◽  
Wheat Germ Agglutinin ◽  
Wheat Germ ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Animal Pole ◽  
Annular Zone

Uncleaved fertilized eggs of Xenopus laevis treated with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) have been pricked at the animal pole both inside and outside the regressed furrow region. The wounded cortex of both regions has been studied with the electron microscope and compared with the same region of wounded, untreated eggs. In all 3 cases, filaments are organized in an annular zone in the damaged cortex. When the surface is pricked outside the regressed furrow of WGA-treated embryos, bundles of microfilaments radiate from the ring and extend in deep folds which form a ‘star’ around the wound at the surface of the embryo. However, when the surface is pricked in the new membrane of the regressed furrow, filaments are intermingled with internalized portions of the plasma membrane. It is suggested that, when the surface is pricked outside the furrow region, more filaments are mobilized to counteract the tangential retraction of the membrane which has acquired more rigidity after WGA binding.

Initiation of HeLa cell adhesion to collagen is dependent upon collagen receptor upregulation, segregation to the basal plasma membrane, clustering and binding to the cytoskeleton

1992 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-883
Author(s):  
M.L. Lu ◽  
R.J. McCarron ◽  
B.S. Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Attachment ◽  
Cell Spreading ◽  
Threshold Effect ◽  
Type I ◽  
Receptor Clustering ◽  
Collagen Receptors ◽  
Basal Plasma Membrane ◽  
Basal Plasma ◽  
Collagen Receptor

It was recently reported that HeLa cells have three Arg-Gly-Asp-dependent collagen receptors that do not appear to be in the integrin family of extracellular matrix receptors and bind to either type I or IV collagen or to type I gelatin. It was our goal to determine how these receptors function in HeLa cell-substratum adhesion. We report here that the sequence of events by which the receptors mediate adhesion to collagen or gelatin is: (1) induction of cell attachment by specific collagen receptor-substratum interactions with culture dishes covalently coated with either type I collagen or gelatin - attachment is inhibited by soluble gelatin; (2) stabilization of attachment by exocytotic upregulation of the receptors to the basal plasma membrane, which was demonstrated by analyzing, during cell adhesion, the redistribution of the collagen receptors among the apical plasma membrane exposed to the culture medium, the basal plasma membrane contacting the culture dish, and an intracellular pool of plasma membrane vesicles; (3) the initiation of cell spreading by receptor clustering and cytoskeletal association. Cell spreading is a threshold effect with regard to the surface concentration of gelatin, indicating that collagen receptor clustering is a precondition to the onset of spreading. Observations consistent with this interpretation of the threshold effect are that cells attach but spread more slowly on a substratum that retards receptor clustering, and that collagen receptors, when viewed by immunofluorescence microscopy, form a punctate pattern of fluorescence in the basal plasma membrane during cell spreading. It is also shown that more collagen receptors co-isolate with nondenaturing detergent-stable cytoskeletal preparations after the collagen receptors have been either clustered by antibodies or gelatin in solution, or by a collagen matrix. This indicates that clustering drives the receptors to bind to the cytoskeleton and is a necessary step in the transition from cell attachment to cell spreading.

scholarly journals Epiplasts: Membrane Skeletons and Epiplastin Proteins in Euglenids, Glaucophytes, Cryptophytes, Ciliates, Dinoflagellates, and Apicomplexans

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Goodenough ◽  
Robyn Roth ◽  
Thamali Kariyawasam ◽  
Amelia He ◽  
Jae-Hyeok Lee
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Secondary Structure ◽  
Amino Acid Composition ◽  
Acid Composition ◽  
Random Coil ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Tail Domain ◽  
Membrane Skeletons

ABSTRACTAnimals and amoebae assemble actin/spectrin-based plasma membrane skeletons, forming what is often called the cell cortex, whereas euglenids and alveolates (ciliates, dinoflagellates, and apicomplexans) have been shown to assemble a thin, viscoelastic, actin/spectrin-free membrane skeleton, here called the epiplast. Epiplasts include a class of proteins, here called the epiplastins, with a head/medial/tail domain organization, whose medial domains have been characterized in previous studies by their low-complexity amino acid composition. We have identified two additional features of the medial domains: a strong enrichment of acid/base amino acid dyads and a predicted β-strand/random coil secondary structure. These features have served to identify members in two additional unicellular eukaryotic radiations—the glaucophytes and cryptophytes—as well as additional members in the alveolates and euglenids. We have analyzed the amino acid composition and domain structure of 219 epiplastin sequences and have used quick-freeze deep-etch electron microscopy to visualize the epiplasts of glaucophytes and cryptophytes. We define epiplastins as proteins encoded in organisms that assemble epiplasts, but epiplastin-like proteins, of unknown function, are also encoded in Insecta, Basidiomycetes, andCaulobactergenomes. We discuss the diverse cellular traits that are supported by epiplasts and propose evolutionary scenarios that are consonant with their distribution in extant eukaryotes.IMPORTANCEMembrane skeletons associate with the inner surface of the plasma membrane to provide support for the fragile lipid bilayer and an elastic framework for the cell itself. Several radiations, including animals, organize such skeletons using actin/spectrin proteins, but four major radiations of eukaryotic unicellular organisms, including disease-causing parasites such asPlasmodium, have been known to construct an alternative and essential skeleton (the epiplast) using a class of proteins that we term epiplastins. We have identified epiplastins in two additional radiations and present images of their epiplasts using electron microscopy. We analyze the sequences and secondary structure of 219 epiplastins and present an in-depth overview and analysis of their known and posited roles in cellular organization and parasite infection. An understanding of epiplast assembly may suggest therapeutic approaches to combat infectious agents such asPlasmodiumas well as approaches to the engineering of useful viscoelastic biofilms.

scholarly journals Initial events during phagocytosis by macrophages viewed from outside and inside the cell: membrane-particle interactions and clathrin.

1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Aggeler ◽  
Z Werb
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Cell Attachment ◽  
High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Particle Uptake ◽  
Freeze Dried

The initial events during phagocytosis of latex beads by mouse peritoneal macrophages were visualized by high-resolution electron microscopy of platinum replicas of freeze-dried cells and by conventional thin-section electron microscopy of macrophages postfixed with 1% tannic acid. On the external surface of phagocytosing macrophages, all stages of particle uptake were seen, from early attachment to complete engulfment. Wherever the plasma membrane approached the bead surface, there was a 20-nm-wide gap bridged by narrow strands of material 12.4 nm in diameter. These strands were also seen in thin sections and in replicas of critical-point-dried and freeze-fractured macrophages. When cells were broken open and the plasma membrane was viewed from the inside, many nascent phagosomes had relatively smooth cytoplasmic surfaces with few associated cytoskeletal filaments. However, up to one-half of the phagosomes that were still close to the cell surface after a short phagocytic pulse (2-5 min) had large flat or spherical areas of clathrin basketwork on their membranes, and both smooth and clathrin-coated vesicles were seen fusing with or budding off from them. Clathrin-coated pits and vesicles were also abundant elsewhere on the plasma membranes of phagocytosing and control macrophages, but large flat clathrin patches similar to those on nascent phagosomes were observed only on the attached basal plasma membrane surfaces. These resulted suggest that phagocytosis shares features not only with cell attachment and spreading but also with receptor-mediated pinocytosis.

scholarly journals Mitochondria-driven assembly of a cortical anchor for mitochondria and dynein

2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (10) ◽  
pp. 3061-3071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Kraft ◽  
Laura L. Lackner
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Dual Function ◽  
Mitochondrial Inheritance ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Core Component ◽  
Spindle Positioning ◽  
The Core ◽  
Contact Sites

Interorganelle contacts facilitate communication between organelles and impact fundamental cellular functions. In this study, we examine the assembly of the MECA (mitochondria–endoplasmic reticulum [ER]–cortex anchor), which tethers mitochondria to the ER and plasma membrane. We find that the assembly of Num1, the core component of MECA, requires mitochondria. Once assembled, Num1 clusters persistently anchor mitochondria to the cell cortex. Num1 clusters also function to anchor dynein to the plasma membrane, where dynein captures and walks along astral microtubules to help orient the mitotic spindle. We find that dynein is anchored by Num1 clusters that have been assembled by mitochondria. When mitochondrial inheritance is inhibited, Num1 clusters are not assembled in the bud, and defects in dynein-mediated spindle positioning are observed. The mitochondria-dependent assembly of a dual-function cortical anchor provides a mechanism to integrate the positioning and inheritance of the two essential organelles and expands the function of organelle contact sites.

scholarly journals Polar relaxation by dynein-mediated removal of cortical myosin II

2020 ◽  
Vol 219 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Chapa-y-Lazo ◽  
Motonari Hamanaka ◽  
Alexander Wray ◽  
Mohan K. Balasubramanian ◽  
Masanori Mishima
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Molecular Mechanism ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Cleavage Furrow ◽  
Contractile Ring ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Polar Cell

Nearly six decades ago, Lewis Wolpert proposed the relaxation of the polar cell cortex by the radial arrays of astral microtubules as a mechanism for cleavage furrow induction. While this mechanism has remained controversial, recent work has provided evidence for polar relaxation by astral microtubules, although its molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, using C. elegans embryos, we show that polar relaxation is achieved through dynein-mediated removal of myosin II from the polar cortexes. Mutants that position centrosomes closer to the polar cortex accelerated furrow induction, whereas suppression of dynein activity delayed furrowing. We show that dynein-mediated removal of myosin II from the polar cortexes triggers a bidirectional cortical flow toward the cell equator, which induces the assembly of the actomyosin contractile ring. These results provide a molecular mechanism for the aster-dependent polar relaxation, which works in parallel with equatorial stimulation to promote robust cytokinesis.

Multinucleated rat alveolar macrophages express functional receptors for calcitonin

1991 ◽  
Vol 261 (6) ◽  
pp. F1026-F1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vignery ◽  
M. J. Raymond ◽  
H. Y. Qian ◽  
F. Wang ◽  
S. A. Rosenzweig
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Alveolar Macrophages ◽  
Giant Cells ◽  
Mononuclear Phagocytes ◽  
Inflammatory Reactions ◽  
Calcitonin Gene ◽  
Novel Model

The fusion of mononuclear phagocytes occurs spontaneously in vivo and leads to the differentiation of either multinucleated giant cells or osteoclasts in chronic inflammatory sites or in bone, respectively. Although osteoclasts are responsible for resorbing bone, the functional role of giant cells in chronic inflammatory reactions and tumors remains poorly understood. We recently reported that the plasma membrane of multinucleated macrophages is, like that of osteoclasts, enriched in Na-K-adenosinetriphosphatases (ATPases). We also observed that the localization of their Na-K-ATPases is restricted to the nonadherent domain of the plasma membrane of cells both in vivo and in vitro, thus imposing a functional polarity on their organization. By following this observation, we wished to investigate whether these cells also expressed, like osteoclasts, functional receptors for calcitonin (CT). To this end, alveolar macrophages were fused in vitro, and both their structural and functional association with CT was analyzed and compared with those of mononucleated peritoneal and alveolar macrophages. Evidence is presented that multinucleated alveolar macrophages express a high copy number of functional receptors for CT. Our results also indicate that alveolar macrophages, much like peritoneal, express functional receptors for calcitonin gene-related peptide. It is suggested that multinucleated rat alveolar macrophages offer a novel model system to study CT receptors and that calcitonin may control local immune reactions where giant cells differentiate.

scholarly journals Ezrin Phosphorylation at T567 Modulates Cell Migration, Mechanical Properties, and Cytoskeletal Organization

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Zhang ◽  
Luis R. Flores ◽  
Michael C. Keeling ◽  
Kristina Sliogeryte ◽  
Núria Gavara
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Migration ◽  
Intracellular Localization ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Cell Stiffness ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Image Quantification ◽  
Cytoskeleton Organization ◽  
Nuclear Changes

Ezrin, a member of the ERM (ezrin/radixin/moesin) family of proteins, serves as a crosslinker between the plasma membrane and the actin cytoskeleton. By doing so, it provides structural links to strengthen the connection between the cell cortex and the plasma membrane, acting also as a signal transducer in multiple pathways during migration, proliferation, and endocytosis. In this study, we investigated the role of ezrin phosphorylation and its intracellular localization on cell motility, cytoskeleton organization, and cell stiffness, using fluorescence live-cell imaging, image quantification, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our results show that cells expressing constitutively active ezrin T567D (phosphomimetic) migrate faster and in a more directional manner, especially when ezrin accumulates at the cell rear. Similarly, image quantification results reveal that transfection with ezrin T567D alters the cell’s gross morphology and decreases cortical stiffness. In contrast, constitutively inactive ezrin T567A accumulates around the nucleus, and although it does not impair cell migration, it leads to a significant buildup of actin fibers, a decrease in nuclear volume, and an increase in cytoskeletal stiffness. Finally, cell transfection with the dominant negative ezrin FERM domain induces significant morphological and nuclear changes and affects actin, microtubules, and the intermediate filament vimentin, resulting in cytoskeletal fibers that are longer, thicker, and more aligned. Collectively, our results suggest that ezrin’s phosphorylation state and its intracellular localization plays a pivotal role in cell migration, modulating also biophysical properties, such as membrane–cortex linkage, cytoskeletal and nuclear organization, and the mechanical properties of cells.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document