scholarly journals Anchoring of actin to the plasma membrane enables tension production in the fission yeast cytokinetic ring

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (16) ◽  
pp. 2053-2064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuyuan Wang ◽  
Ben O’Shaughnessy

The cytokinetic ring generates tensile force that drives cell division, but how tension emerges from the relatively disordered ring organization remains unclear. Long ago, a musclelike sliding filament mechanism was proposed, but evidence for sarcomeric order is lacking. Here we present quantitative evidence that in fission yeast, ring tension originates from barbed-end anchoring of actin filaments to the plasma membrane, providing resistance to myosin forces that enables filaments to develop tension. The role of anchoring was highlighted by experiments on isolated fission yeast rings, where sections of ring became unanchored from the membrane and shortened ∼30-fold faster than normal. The dramatically elevated constriction rates are unexplained. Here we present a molecularly explicit simulation of constricting partially anchored rings as studied in these experiments. Simulations accurately reproduced the experimental constriction rates and showed that following anchor release, a segment becomes tensionless and shortens via a novel noncontractile reeling-in mechanism at about the velocity of load-free myosin II. The ends are reeled in by barbed end–anchored actin filaments in adjacent segments. Other actin anchoring schemes failed to constrict rings. Our results quantitatively support a specific organization and anchoring scheme that generate tension in the cytokinetic ring.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuyuan Wang ◽  
Ben O’Shaughnessy

AbstractThe cytokinetic ring generates tensile force that drives cell division, but how tension emerges from the relatively disordered ring organization remains unclear. Long ago a muscle-like sliding filament mechanism was proposed, but evidence for sarcomeric order is lacking. Here we present quantitative evidence that in fission yeast ring tension originates from barbed-end anchoring of actin filaments to the plasma membrane, providing resistance to myosin forces which enables filaments to develop tension. The role of anchoring was highlighted by experiments on isolated fission yeast rings, where sections of ring unanchored from the membrane and shortened ~30-fold faster than normal [Mishra M., et al. (2013) Nat Cell Biol 15(7):853-859]. The dramatically elevated constriction rates are unexplained. Here we present a molecularly explicit simulation of constricting partially anchored rings as studied in these experiments. Simulations accurately reproduced the experimental constriction rates, and showed that following anchor release a segment becomes tensionless and shortens via a novel non-contractile reeling-in mechanism at about the load-free myosin-II velocity. The ends are reeled in by barbed-end-anchored actin filaments in adjacent segments. Other actin anchoring schemes failed to constrict rings. Our results quantitatively support a specific organization and anchoring scheme that generates tension in the cytokinetic ring.


2011 ◽  
Vol 192 (6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Laporte ◽  
Valerie C. Coffman ◽  
I-Ju Lee ◽  
Jian-Qiu Wu

The contractile ring is essential for cytokinesis in most fungal and animal cells. In fission yeast, cytokinesis nodes are precursors of the contractile ring and mark the future cleavage site. However, their assembly and architecture have not been well described. We found that nodes are assembled stoichiometrically in a hierarchical order with two modules linked by the positional marker anillin Mid1. Mid1 first recruits Cdc4 and IQGAP Rng2 to form module I. Rng2 subsequently recruits the myosin-II subunits Myo2 and Rlc1. Mid1 then independently recruits the F-BAR protein Cdc15 to form module II. Mid1, Rng2, Cdc4, and Cdc15 are stable node components that accumulate close to the plasma membrane. Both modules recruit the formin Cdc12 to nucleate actin filaments. Myo2 heads point into the cell interior, where they efficiently capture actin filaments to condense nodes into the contractile ring. Collectively, our work characterizing the assembly and architecture of precursor nodes defines important steps and molecular players for contractile ring assembly.


2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1933-1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kentaro Nakano ◽  
Issei Mabuchi

The role of the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin-family protein Adf1 in cytokinesis of fission yeast cells was studied. Adf1 was required for accumulation of actin at the division site by depolymerizing actin at the cell ends, assembly of the contractile ring through severing actin filaments, and maintenance of the contractile ring once formed. Genetic and cytological analyses suggested that it collaborates with profilin and capping protein in the mitotic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Furthermore, it was unexpectedly found that Adf1 and myosin-II also collaborate in assembling the contractile ring. Tropomyosin was shown to antagonize the function of Adf1 in the contractile ring. We propose that formation and maintenance of the contractile ring are achieved by a balanced collaboration of these proteins.


2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (14) ◽  
pp. 7904-7914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheikh Abdul Rahman ◽  
Peter Koch ◽  
Julian Weichsel ◽  
William J. Godinez ◽  
Ulrich Schwarz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHuman immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particles assemble at the plasma membrane, which is lined by a dense network of filamentous actin (F-actin). Large amounts of actin have been detected in HIV-1 virions, proposed to be incorporated by interactions with the nucleocapsid domain of the viral polyprotein Gag. Previous studies addressing the role of F-actin in HIV-1 particle formation using F-actin-interfering drugs did not yield consistent results. Filamentous structures pointing toward nascent HIV-1 budding sites, detected by cryo-electron tomography and atomic force microscopy, prompted us to revisit the role of F-actin in HIV-1 assembly by live-cell microscopy. HeLa cells coexpressing HIV-1 carrying fluorescently labeled Gag and a labeled F-actin-binding peptide were imaged by live-cell total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIR-FM). Computational analysis of image series did not reveal characteristic patterns of F-actin in the vicinity of viral budding sites. Furthermore, no transient recruitment of F-actin during bud formation was detected by monitoring fluorescence intensity changes at nascent HIV-1 assembly sites. The chosen approach allowed us to measure the effect of F-actin-interfering drugs on the assembly of individual virions in parallel with monitoring changes in the F-actin network of the respective cell. Treatment of cells with latrunculin did not affect the efficiency and dynamics of Gag assembly under conditions resulting in the disruption of F-actin filaments. Normal assembly rates were also observed upon transient stabilization of F-actin by short-term treatment with jasplakinolide. Taken together, these findings indicate that actin filament dynamics are dispensable for HIV-1 Gag assembly at the plasma membrane of HeLa cells.IMPORTANCEHIV-1 particles assemble at the plasma membrane of virus-producing cells. This membrane is lined by a dense network of actin filaments that might either present a physical obstacle to the formation of virus particles or generate force promoting the assembly process. Drug-mediated interference with the actin cytoskeleton showed different results for the formation of retroviral particles in different studies, likely due to general effects on the cell upon prolonged drug treatment. Here, we characterized the effect of actin-interfering compounds on the HIV-1 assembly process by direct observation of virus formation in live cells, which allowed us to measure assembly rate constants directly upon drug addition. Virus assembly proceeded with normal rates when actin filaments were either disrupted or stabilized. Taken together with the absence of characteristic actin filament patterns at viral budding sites in our analyses, this indicates that the actin network is dispensable for HIV-1 assembly.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 989-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin C. Stark ◽  
Thomas E. Sladewski ◽  
Luther W. Pollard ◽  
Matthew Lord

Myosin-II (Myo2p) and tropomyosin are essential for contractile ring formation and cytokinesis in fission yeast. Here we used a combination of in vivo and in vitro approaches to understand how these proteins function at contractile rings. We find that ring assembly is delayed in Myo2p motor and tropomyosin mutants, but occurs prematurely in cells engineered to express two copies of myo2. Thus, the timing of ring assembly responds to changes in Myo2p cellular levels and motor activity, and the emergence of tropomyosin-bound actin filaments. Doubling Myo2p levels suppresses defects in ring assembly associated with a tropomyosin mutant, suggesting a role for tropomyosin in maximizing Myo2p function. Correspondingly, tropomyosin increases Myo2p actin affinity and ATPase activity and promotes Myo2p-driven actin filament gliding in motility assays. Tropomyosin achieves this by favoring the strong actin-bound state of Myo2p. This mode of regulation reflects a role for tropomyosin in specifying and stabilizing actomyosin interactions, which facilitates contractile ring assembly in the fission yeast system.


1990 ◽  
Vol 259 (6) ◽  
pp. G991-G997 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Oliver ◽  
R. D. Specian

Although microtubules appear necessary to maintain mucin granule transport in intestinal goblet cells, the role of microfilaments in mucus secretion is unknown. To determine the functional significance of microfilaments in goblet cell secretion, fluorescent cytochemistry of microfilaments and autoradiographic studies on granule movement were performed on rabbit intestinal goblet cells, with and without the actin depolymerizing agents, cytochalasin D (cyto D), and dihydro-cytochalasin B (dihydro B). In normal goblet cells, cytochemical localization of F-actin with NBD-phallacidin demonstrated their restriction to the apical surface of the goblet cell. Visualization of the goblet cell apical surface by electron microscopy revealed the presence of a thin layer of cytoplasm overlying the granule mass. Treatment with cyto D and dihydro B eliminated NBD-phallacidin staining of the apical cell surface. Quantitative analysis of baseline granule translocation demonstrated that treatment with cyto D and dihydro B resulted in dramatic acceleration of granule movement through goblet cells. This cellular response results from an increase in baseline secretion and facilitation of secretion of newly synthesized mucins, not stimulation of an accelerated secretory event. These data imply that actin filaments fulfill a barrier function in baseline secretion by hindering granule access to the plasma membrane; once the granule contacts the plasma membrane, exocytosis occurs. Secretion is balanced by the translocation of subjacent granules. In contrast, an accelerated secretory event is not triggered by plasma membrane access alone; this event requires a regulatory signal. We hypothesize that, unlike accelerated secretion, baseline secretion is constitutive, with exocytosis limited solely by the physical constraint of secretory granule access to the apical plasma membrane.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.M. Wetzel ◽  
S. Håkansson ◽  
K. Hu ◽  
D. Roos ◽  
L.D. Sibley

Host cell entry by Toxoplasma gondii depends critically on actin filaments in the parasite, yet paradoxically, its actin is almost exclusively monomeric. In contrast to the absence of stable filaments in conventional samples, rapid-freeze electron microscopy revealed that actin filaments were formed beneath the plasma membrane of gliding parasites. To investigate the role of actin filaments in motility, we treated parasites with the filament-stabilizing drug jasplakinolide (JAS) and monitored the distribution of actin in live and fixed cells using yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-actin. JAS treatment caused YFP-actin to redistribute to the apical and posterior ends, where filaments formed a spiral pattern subtending the plasma membrane. Although previous studies have suggested that JAS induces rigor, videomicroscopy demonstrated that JAS treatment increased the rate of parasite gliding by approximately threefold, indicating that filaments are rate limiting for motility. However, JAS also frequently reversed the normal direction of motility, disrupting forward migration and cell entry. Consistent with this alteration, subcortical filaments in JAS-treated parasites occurred in tangled plaques as opposed to the straight, roughly parallel orientation observed in control cells. These studies reveal that precisely controlled polymerization of actin filaments imparts the correct timing, duration, and directionality of gliding motility in the Apicomplexa.


2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 2160-2173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen T. Skau ◽  
Erin M. Neidt ◽  
David R. Kovar

Like animal cells, fission yeast divides by assembling actin filaments into a contractile ring. In addition to formin Cdc12p and profilin, the single tropomyosin isoform SpTm is required for contractile ring assembly. Cdc12p nucleates actin filaments and remains processively associated with the elongating barbed end while driving the addition of profilin-actin. SpTm is thought to stabilize mature filaments, but it is not known how SpTm localizes to the contractile ring and whether SpTm plays a direct role in Cdc12p-mediated actin polymerization. Using “bulk” and single actin filament assays, we discovered that Cdc12p can recruit SpTm to actin filaments and that SpTm has diverse effects on Cdc12p-mediated actin assembly. On its own, SpTm inhibits actin filament elongation and depolymerization. However, Cdc12p completely overcomes the combined inhibition of actin nucleation and barbed end elongation by profilin and SpTm. Furthermore, SpTm increases the length of Cdc12p-nucleated actin filaments by enhancing the elongation rate twofold and by allowing them to anneal end to end. In contrast, SpTm ultimately turns off Cdc12p-mediated elongation by “trapping” Cdc12p within annealed filaments or by dissociating Cdc12p from the barbed end. Therefore, SpTm makes multiple contributions to contractile ring assembly during and after actin polymerization.


2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Pollard

We use fission yeast to study the molecular mechanism of cytokinesis. We benefit from a long history in genetic analysis of the cell cycle in fission yeast, which provided the most complete inventory of cytokinesis proteins. We used fluorescence microscopy of proteins tagged with fluorescent proteins to establish the temporal and spatial pathway for the assembly and constriction of the contractile ring. We combined biochemical analysis of purified proteins (myosin-II, profilin, formin Cdc12p and cofilin), observations of fluorescent fusion proteins in live cells and mathematical modelling to formulate and test a simple hypothesis for the assembly of the contractile ring. This model involves the formation of 65 nodes containing myosin-II and formin Cdc12p around the equator of the cell. As a cell enters anaphase, actin filaments grow from formin Cdc12p in these nodes. Myosin captures actin filaments from adjacent nodes and pulls intermittently to condense the nodes into a contractile ring.


2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (9) ◽  
pp. 2657-2667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Gang Chew ◽  
Junqi Huang ◽  
Saravanan Palani ◽  
Ruth Sommese ◽  
Anton Kamnev ◽  
...  

Cytokinesis in many eukaryotes involves a tension-generating actomyosin-based contractile ring. Many components of actomyosin rings turn over during contraction, although the significance of this turnover has remained enigmatic. Here, using Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, we investigate the role of turnover of actin and myosin II in its contraction. Actomyosin ring components self-organize into ∼1-µm-spaced clusters instead of undergoing full-ring contraction in the absence of continuous actin polymerization. This effect is reversed when actin filaments are stabilized. We tested the idea that the function of turnover is to ensure actin filament homeostasis in a synthetic system, in which we abolished turnover by fixing rings in cell ghosts with formaldehyde. We found that these rings contracted fully upon exogenous addition of a vertebrate myosin. We conclude that actin turnover is required to maintain actin filament homeostasis during ring contraction and that the requirement for turnover can be bypassed if homeostasis is achieved artificially.


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