scholarly journals Nascent adhesions differentially regulate lamellipodium velocity and persistence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith R Carney ◽  
Akib M Khan ◽  
Shiela C Samson ◽  
Nikhil Mittal ◽  
Sangyoon J Han ◽  
...  

Cell migration is essential to physiological and pathological biology. Migration is driven by the motion of a leading edge, in which actin polymerization pushes against the edge and adhesions transmit traction to the substrate while membrane tension increases. How the actin and adhesions synergistically control edge protrusion remains elusive. We addressed this question by developing a computational model in which the Brownian ratchet mechanism governs actin filament polymerization against the membrane and the molecular clutch mechanism governs adhesion to the substrate (BR-MC model). Our model predicted that actin polymerization is the most significant driver of protrusion, as actin had a greater effect on protrusion than adhesion assembly. Increasing the lifetime of nascent adhesions also enhanced velocity, but decreased the protrusion's motional persistence, because filaments maintained against the cell edge ceased polymerizing as membrane tension increased. We confirmed the model predictions with measurement of adhesion lifetime and edge motion in migrating cells. Adhesions with longer lifetime were associated with faster protrusion velocity and shorter persistence. Experimentally increasing adhesion lifetime increased velocity but decreased persistence. We propose a mechanism for actin polymerization-driven, adhesion-dependent protrusion in which balanced nascent adhesion assembly and lifetime generates protrusions with the power and persistence to drive migration.

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Xue ◽  
Deanna M. Janzen ◽  
David A. Knecht

Numerous F-actin containing structures are involved in regulating protrusion of membrane at the leading edge of motile cells. We have investigated the structure and dynamics of filopodia as they relate to events at the leading edge and the function of the trailing actin networks. We have found that although filopodia contain parallel bundles of actin, they contain a surprisingly nonuniform spatial and temporal distribution of actin binding proteins. Along the length of the actin filaments in a single filopodium, the most distal portion contains primarily T-plastin, while the proximal portion is primarily bound byα-actinin and coronin. Some filopodia are stationary, but lateral filopodia move with respect to the leading edge. They appear to form a mechanical link between the actin polymerization network at the front of the cell and the myosin motor activity in the cell body. The direction of lateral filopodial movement is associated with the direction of cell migration. When lateral filopodia initiate from and move toward only one side of a cell, the cell will turn opposite to the direction of filopodial flow. Therefore, this filopodia-myosin II system allows actin polymerization driven protrusion forces and myosin II mediated contractile force to be mechanically coordinated.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (8) ◽  
pp. C753-C761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Cleary ◽  
Ruping Wang ◽  
Omar Waqar ◽  
Harold A. Singer ◽  
Dale D. Tang

c-Abl is a nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinase that has a role in regulating smooth muscle cell proliferation and contraction. The role of c-Abl in smooth muscle cell migration has not been investigated. In the present study, c-Abl was found in the leading edge of smooth muscle cells. Knockdown of c-Abl by RNA interference attenuated smooth muscle cell motility as evidenced by time-lapse microscopy. Furthermore, the actin-associated proteins cortactin and profilin-1 (Pfn-1) have been implicated in cell migration. In this study, cell adhesion induced cortactin phosphorylation at Tyr-421, an indication of cortactin activation. Phospho-cortactin and Pfn-1 were also found in the cell edge. Pfn-1 directly interacted with cortactin in vitro. Silencing of c-Abl attenuated adhesion-induced cortactin phosphorylation and Pfn-1 localization in the cell edge. To assess the role of cortactin/Pfn-1 coupling, we developed a cell-permeable peptide. Treatment with the peptide inhibited the interaction of cortactin with Pfn-1 without affecting cortactin phosphorylation. Moreover, treatment with the peptide impaired the recruitment of Pfn-1 to the leading edge and cell migration. Finally, β1-integrin was required for the recruitment of c-Abl to the cell edge. Inhibition of actin dynamics impaired the spatial distribution of c-Abl. These results suggest that β1-integrin may recruit c-Abl to the leading cell edge, which may regulate cortactin phosphorylation in response to cell adhesion. Phosphorylated cortactin may facilitate the recruitment of Pfn-1 to the cell edge, which promotes localized actin polymerization, leading edge formation, and cell movement. Conversely, actin dynamics may strengthen the recruitment of c-Abl to the leading edge.


2007 ◽  
Vol 178 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique T. Brandt ◽  
Sabrina Marion ◽  
Gareth Griffiths ◽  
Takashi Watanabe ◽  
Kozo Kaibuchi ◽  
...  

The Diaphanous-related formin Dia1 nucleates actin polymerization, thereby regulating cell shape and motility. Mechanisms that control the cellular location of Dia1 to spatially define actin polymerization are largely unknown. In this study, we identify the cytoskeletal scaffold protein IQGAP1 as a Dia1-binding protein that is necessary for its subcellular location. IQGAP1 interacts with Dia1 through a region within the Diaphanous inhibitory domain after the RhoA-mediated release of Dia1 autoinhibition. Both proteins colocalize at the front of migrating cells but also at the actin-rich phagocytic cup in macrophages. We show that IQGAP1 interaction with Dia1 is required for phagocytosis and phagocytic cup formation. Thus, we identify IQGAP1 as a novel component involved in the regulation of phagocytosis by mediating the localization of the actin filament nucleator Dia1.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 658-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Daou ◽  
Salma Hasan ◽  
Dennis Breitsprecher ◽  
Emilie Baudelet ◽  
Luc Camoin ◽  
...  

Formins constitute a large family of proteins that regulate the dynamics and organization of both the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. Previously we showed that the formin mDia1 helps tether microtubules at the cell cortex, acting downstream of the ErbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase. Here we further study the contributions of mDia1 and its two most closely related formins, mDia2 and mDia3, to cortical microtubule capture and ErbB2-dependent breast carcinoma cell migration. We find that depletion of each of these three formins strongly disrupts chemotaxis without significantly affecting actin-based structures. Further, all three formins are required for formation of cortical microtubules in a nonredundant manner, and formin proteins defective in actin polymerization remain active for microtubule capture. Using affinity purification and mass spectrometry analysis, we identify differential binding partners of the formin-homology domain 2 (FH2) of mDia1, mDia2, and mDia3, which may explain their nonredundant roles in microtubule capture. The FH2 domain of mDia1 specifically interacts with Rab6-interacting protein 2 (Rab6IP2). Further, mDia1 is required for cortical localization of Rab6IP2, and concomitant depletion of Rab6IP2 and IQGAP1 severely disrupts cortical capture of microtubules, demonstrating the coinvolvement of mDia1, IQGAP1, and Rab6IP2 in microtubule tethering at the leading edge.


2003 ◽  
Vol 161 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Fischer ◽  
Kimberly L. Fritz-Six ◽  
Velia M. Fowler

Actin filament pointed-end dynamics are thought to play a critical role in cell motility, yet regulation of this process remains poorly understood. We describe here a previously uncharacterized tropomodulin (Tmod) isoform, Tmod3, which is widely expressed in human tissues and is present in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1). Tmod3 is present in sufficient quantity to cap pointed ends of actin filaments, localizes to actin filament structures in HMEC-1 cells, and appears enriched in leading edge ruffles and lamellipodia. Transient overexpression of GFP–Tmod3 leads to a depolarized cell morphology and decreased cell motility. A fivefold increase in Tmod3 results in an equivalent decrease in free pointed ends in the cells. Unexpectedly, a decrease in the relative amounts of F-actin, free barbed ends, and actin-related protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) complex in lamellipodia are also observed. Conversely, decreased expression of Tmod3 by RNA interference leads to faster average cell migration, along with increases in free pointed and barbed ends in lamellipodial actin filaments. These data collectively demonstrate that capping of actin filament pointed ends by Tmod3 inhibits cell migration and reveal a novel control mechanism for regulation of actin filaments in lamellipodia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (560) ◽  
pp. eaat3178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan H. Roy ◽  
Joanna L. MacKay ◽  
Tanner F. Robertson ◽  
Daniel A. Hammer ◽  
Janis K. Burkhardt

T cell entry into inflamed tissue involves firm adhesion, spreading, and migration of the T cells across endothelial barriers. These events depend on “outside-in” signals through which engaged integrins direct cytoskeletal reorganization. We investigated the molecular events that mediate this process and found that T cells from mice lacking expression of the adaptor protein Crk exhibited defects in phenotypes induced by the integrin lymphocyte function–associated antigen 1 (LFA-1), namely, actin polymerization, leading edge formation, and two-dimensional cell migration. Crk protein was an essential mediator of LFA-1 signaling–induced phosphorylation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase c-Cbl and its subsequent interaction with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) subunit p85, thus promoting PI3K activity and cytoskeletal remodeling. In addition, we found that Crk proteins were required for T cells to respond to changes in substrate stiffness, as measured by alterations in cell spreading and differential phosphorylation of the force-sensitive protein CasL. These findings identify Crk proteins as key intermediates coupling LFA-1 signals to actin remodeling and provide mechanistic insights into how T cells sense and respond to substrate stiffness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (25) ◽  
pp. 14270-14279
Author(s):  
Zhiwen Zhu ◽  
Yongping Chai ◽  
Huifang Hu ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Wen-Jun Li ◽  
...  

Directional cell migration involves signaling cascades that stimulate actin assembly at the leading edge, and additional pathways must inhibit actin polymerization at the rear. During neuroblast migration inCaenorhabditis elegans, the transmembrane protein MIG-13/Lrp12 acts through the Arp2/3 nucleation-promoting factors WAVE and WASP to guide the anterior migration. Here we show that a tyrosine kinase, SRC-1, directly phosphorylates MIG-13 and promotes its activity on actin assembly at the leading edge. In GFP knockin animals, SRC-1 and MIG-13 distribute along the entire plasma membrane of migrating cells. We reveal that a receptor-like tyrosine phosphatase, PTP-3, maintains the F-actin polarity during neuroblast migration. Recombinant PTP-3 dephosphorylates SRC-1–dependent MIG-13 phosphorylation in vitro. Importantly, the endogenous PTP-3 accumulates at the rear of the migrating neuroblast, and its extracellular domain is essential for directional cell migration. We provide evidence that the asymmetrically localized tyrosine phosphatase PTP-3 spatially restricts MIG-13/Lrp12 receptor activity in migrating cells.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Sitarska ◽  
Silvia Dias Almeida ◽  
Marianne Beckwith ◽  
Julian Stopp ◽  
Yannick Schwab ◽  
...  

Cell migration is fundamental for the immune response, development, and morphogenesis. For navigation through complex and ever-changing environments, migrating cells require a balance between a stable leading-edge, which is necessary for directional migration, and some unstable features to enable the required dynamic behaviors. The leading edge is often composed of actin-driven protrusions including lamellipodia and ruffles with continuously changing membrane curvature. Whether their membrane topography affects the cell's leading edge and motion persistence in complex environments remains unknown. To study this, we combined a theoretical analysis with machine learning-based segmentation for time-resolved TIRF microscopy, membrane topography analysis from electron microscopy images and microfluidics. We discovered that cell motion persistence and directionality, in both freely moving and environmentally-constrained cells, strongly depend on the curvature-sensing protein Snx33. Specifically, Snx33 promotes leading edge instabilities by locally inhibiting WAVE2- driven actin polymerization in a curvature-dependent manner. Snx33 knockout cells migrate faster and are more persistent during unobstructed migration, but fail when a change in direction is required. Thus, Snx33 is key for steering cell motility in complex environments by facilitating contact inhibition of locomotion and promoting efficient turning. These results identify cell surface topography as an organizing principle at the cell periphery that directs cell migration.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Campbell ◽  
Rebecca Zitnay ◽  
Michelle Mendoza ◽  
Tamara C Bidone

AbstractThe external environment is a regulator of cell activity. Its stiffness and microstructure can either facilitate or prevent 3D cell migration in both physiology and disease. 3D cell migration results from force feedbacks between the cell and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Adhesions regulate these force feedbacks by working as molecular clutches that dynamically bind and unbind the ECM. Because of the interdependency between ECM properties, adhesion dynamics, and cell contractility, how exactly 3D cell migration occurs in different environments is not fully understood. In order to elucidate the effect of ECM on 3D cell migration through force-sensitive molecular clutches, we developed a computational model based on a lattice point approach. Results from the model show that increases in ECM pore size reduce cell migration speed. In contrast, matrix porosity increases it, given a sufficient number of ligands for cell adhesions and limited crowding of the matrix from cell replication. Importantly, these effects are maintained across a range of ECM stiffnesses’, demonstrating that mechanical factors are not responsible for how matrix microstructure regulates cell motility.


2020 ◽  
pp. jbc.RA120.013623
Author(s):  
Sandra Angela Hemkemeyer ◽  
Veith Vollmer ◽  
Vera Schwarz ◽  
Birgit Lohmann ◽  
Ulrike Honnert ◽  
...  

To migrate, cells assume a polarized morphology, extending forward with a leading edge with their trailing edge retracting back toward the cell body. Both cell extension and retraction critically depend on the organization and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton, and the small, monomeric GTPases Rac and Rho are important regulators of actin. Activation of Rac induces actin polymerization and cell extension whereas activation of Rho enhances acto-myosin II contractility and cell retraction. To coordinate migration, these processes must be carefully regulated. The myosin Myo9b, a Rho GTPase activating protein (GAP), negatively regulates Rho activity and deletion of Myo9b in leukocytes impairs cell migration through increased Rho activity. However, it is not known whether cell motility is regulated by global or local inhibition of Rho activity by Myo9b. Here, we addressed this question by using Myo9b-deficient macrophage-like cells that expressed different recombinant Myo9b constructs. We found that Myo9b accumulates in lamellipodial extensions generated by Rac-induced actin polymerization as a function of its motor activity. Deletion of Myo9b in HL-60 derived macrophages altered cell morphology and impaired cell migration. Reintroduction of Myo9b or Myo9b motor and GAP mutants revealed that local GAP activity rescues cell morphology and migration. In summary, Rac activation leads to actin polymerization and recruitment of Myo9b, which locally inhibits Rho activity to enhance directional cell migration. In summary, Rac activation leads to actin polymerization and recruitment of Myo9b, which locally inhibits Rho activity to enhance directional cell migration.


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