How nematode sperm crawl

2002 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Bottino ◽  
Alexander Mogilner ◽  
Tom Roberts ◽  
Murray Stewart ◽  
George Oster
Keyword(s):  
Cell Motility ◽  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Basic Mechanism ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Major Sperm Protein ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Amoeboid Motility ◽  
Filament Bundles

Sperm of the nematode, Ascaris suum, crawl using lamellipodial protrusion, adhesion and retraction, a process analogous to the amoeboid motility of other eukaryotic cells. However, rather than employing an actin cytoskeleton to generate locomotion, nematode sperm use the major sperm protein (MSP). Moreover, nematode sperm lack detectable molecular motors or the battery of actin-binding proteins that characterize actin-based motility. The Ascaris system provides a simple ‘stripped down’ version of a crawling cell in which to examine the basic mechanism of cell locomotion independently of other cellular functions that involve the cytoskeleton. Here we present a mechanochemical analysis of crawling in Ascaris sperm. We construct a finite element model wherein (a) localized filament polymerization and bundling generate the force for lamellipodial extension and (b) energy stored in the gel formed from the filament bundles at the leading edge is subsequently used to produce the contraction that pulls the rear of the cell forward. The model reproduces the major features of crawling sperm and provides a framework in which amoeboid cell motility can be analyzed. Although the model refers primarily to the locomotion of nematode sperm, it has important implications for the mechanics of actin-based cell motility.Movies available on-line.

scholarly journals Localized Depolymerization of the Major Sperm Protein Cytoskeleton Correlates with the Forward Movement of the Cell Body in the Amoeboid Movement of Nematode Sperm

1999 ◽  
Vol 146 (5) ◽  
pp. 1087-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Italiano ◽  
Murray Stewart ◽  
Thomas M. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Cell Body ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Amoeboid Movement ◽  
Major Sperm Protein ◽  
Membrane Protrusion ◽  
Forward Movement ◽  
Sperm Protein ◽  
Amoeboid Motility ◽  
Tightly Coupled

The major sperm protein (MSP)-based amoeboid motility of Ascaris suum sperm requires coordinated lamellipodial protrusion and cell body retraction. In these cells, protrusion and retraction are tightly coupled to the assembly and disassembly of the cytoskeleton at opposite ends of the lamellipodium. Although polymerization along the leading edge appears to drive protrusion, the behavior of sperm tethered to the substrate showed that an additional force is required to pull the cell body forward. To examine the mechanism of cell body movement, we used pH to uncouple cytoskeletal polymerization and depolymerization. In sperm treated with pH 6.75 buffer, protrusion of the leading edge slowed dramatically while both cytoskeletal disassembly at the base of the lamellipodium and cell body retraction continued. At pH 6.35, the cytoskeleton pulled away from the leading edge and receded through the lamellipodium as its disassembly at the cell body continued. The cytoskeleton disassembled rapidly and completely in cells treated at pH 5.5, but reformed when the cells were washed with physiological buffer. Cytoskeletal reassembly occurred at the lamellipodial margin and caused membrane protrusion, but the cell body did not move until the cytoskeleton was rebuilt and depolymerization resumed. These results indicate that cell body retraction is mediated by tension in the cytoskeleton, correlated with MSP depolymerization at the base of the lamellipodium.

scholarly journals Structure, Subunit Topology, and Actin-binding Activity of the Arp2/3 Complex from Acanthamoeba

1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Dyche Mullins ◽  
Walter F. Stafford ◽  
Thomas D. Pollard
Keyword(s):  
Electron Micrographs ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Analytical Ultracentrifugation ◽  
Fluorescent Antibody ◽  
Complex Molecule ◽  
Gel Filtration ◽  
Sedimentation Coefficient ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Filament Bundles

The Arp2/3 complex, first isolated from Acanthamoeba castellani by affinity chromatography on profilin, consists of seven polypeptides; two actinrelated proteins, Arp2 and Arp3; and five apparently novel proteins, p40, p35, p19, p18, and p14 (Machesky et al., 1994). The complex is homogeneous by hydrodynamic criteria with a Stokes' radius of 5.3 nm by gel filtration, sedimentation coefficient of 8.7 S, and molecular mass of 197 kD by analytical ultracentrifugation. The stoichiometry of the subunits is 1:1:1:1:1:1:1, indicating the purified complex contains one copy each of seven polypeptides. In electron micrographs, the complex has a bilobed or horseshoe shape with outer dimensions of ∼13 × 10 nm, and mathematical models of such a shape and size are consistent with the measured hydrodynamic properties. Chemical cross-linking with a battery of cross-linkers of different spacer arm lengths and chemical reactivities identify the following nearest neighbors within the complex: Arp2 and p40; Arp2 and p35; Arp3 and p35; Arp3 and either p18 or p19; and p19 and p14. By fluorescent antibody staining with anti-p40 and -p35, the complex is concentrated in the cortex of the ameba, especially in linear structures, possibly actin filament bundles, that lie perpendicular to the leading edge. Purified Arp2/3 complex binds actin filaments with a Kd of 2.3 μM and a stoichiometry of approximately one complex molecule per actin monomer. In electron micrographs of negatively stained samples, Arp2/3 complex decorates the sides of actin filaments. EDC/NHS cross-links actin to Arp3, p35, and a low molecular weight subunit, p19, p18, or p14. We propose structural and topological models for the Arp2/3 complex and suggest that affinity for actin filaments accounts for the localization of complex subunits to actinrich regions of Acanthamoeba.

scholarly journals NAA80 is actin’s N-terminal acetyltransferase and regulates cytoskeleton assembly and cell motility

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (17) ◽  
pp. 4399-4404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Drazic ◽  
Henriette Aksnes ◽  
Michaël Marie ◽  
Malgorzata Boczkowska ◽  
Sylvia Varland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Motility ◽  
Posttranslational Modifications ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Signaling Proteins ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Cytoskeletal Organization ◽  
Organelle Trafficking ◽  
Lamellipodia Formation ◽  
In Cells

Actin, one of the most abundant proteins in nature, participates in countless cellular functions ranging from organelle trafficking and pathogen motility to cell migration and regulation of gene transcription. Actin’s cellular activities depend on the dynamic transition between its monomeric and filamentous forms, a process exquisitely regulated in cells by a large number of actin-binding and signaling proteins. Additionally, several posttranslational modifications control the cellular functions of actin, including most notably N-terminal (Nt)-acetylation, a prevalent modification throughout the animal kingdom. However, the biological role and mechanism of actin Nt-acetylation are poorly understood, and the identity of actin’s N-terminal acetyltransferase (NAT) has remained a mystery. Here, we reveal that NAA80, a suggested NAT enzyme whose substrate specificity had not been characterized, is Nt-acetylating actin. We further show that actin Nt-acetylation plays crucial roles in cytoskeletal assembly in vitro and in cells. The absence of Nt-acetylation leads to significant differences in the rates of actin filament depolymerization and elongation, including elongation driven by formins, whereas filament nucleation by the Arp2/3 complex is mostly unaffected. NAA80-knockout cells display severely altered cytoskeletal organization, including an increase in the ratio of filamentous to globular actin, increased filopodia and lamellipodia formation, and accelerated cell motility. Together, the results demonstrate NAA80’s role as actin’s NAT and reveal a crucial role for actin Nt-acetylation in the control of cytoskeleton structure and dynamics.

scholarly journals αE-catenin actin-binding domain alters actin filament conformation and regulates binding of nucleation and disassembly factors

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (23) ◽  
pp. 3710-3720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Hansen ◽  
Adam V. Kwiatkowski ◽  
Chung-Yueh Ouyang ◽  
HongJun Liu ◽  
Sabine Pokutta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Actin Filament ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Filamentous Actin ◽  
Filament Structure ◽  
Actin Binding Domain ◽  
Filament Bundles ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Cell Cell

The actin-binding protein αE-catenin may contribute to transitions between cell migration and cell–cell adhesion that depend on remodeling the actin cytoskeleton, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We show that the αE-catenin actin-binding domain (ABD) binds cooperatively to individual actin filaments and that binding is accompanied by a conformational change in the actin protomer that affects filament structure. αE-catenin ABD binding limits barbed-end growth, especially in actin filament bundles. αE-catenin ABD inhibits actin filament branching by the Arp2/3 complex and severing by cofilin, both of which contact regions of the actin protomer that are structurally altered by αE-catenin ABD binding. In epithelial cells, there is little correlation between the distribution of αE-catenin and the Arp2/3 complex at developing cell–cell contacts. Our results indicate that αE-catenin binding to filamentous actin favors assembly of unbranched filament bundles that are protected from severing over more dynamic, branched filament arrays.

scholarly journals Contribution of Filopodia to Cell Migration: A Mechanical Link between Protrusion and Contraction

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Xue ◽  
Deanna M. Janzen ◽  
David A. Knecht
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Distal Portion ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Actin Networks ◽  
Motile Cells ◽  
A Cell

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.

Supramolecular assemblies of the Ascaris suum major sperm protein (MSP) associated with amoeboid cell motility

1994 ◽  
Vol 107 (10) ◽  
pp. 2941-2949
Author(s):  
K.L. King ◽  
M. Stewart ◽  
T.M. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Ascaris Suum ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Intrinsic Property ◽  
Basic Unit ◽  
Major Sperm Protein ◽  
Sperm Protein ◽  
Amoeboid Cell ◽  
Left Handed ◽  
Self Association

Sperm of the nematode, Ascaris suum, are amoeboid cells that do not require actin or myosin to crawl over solid substrata. In these cells, the role usually played by actin has been taken over by major sperm protein (MSP), which assembles into filaments that pack the sperm pseudopod. These MSP filaments are organized into multi-filament arrays called fiber complexes that flow centripetally from the leading edge of the pseudopod to the cell body in a pattern that is intimately associated with motility. We have characterized structurally a hierarchy of helical assemblies formed by MSP. The basic unit of the MSP cytoskeleton is a filament formed by two subfilaments coiled around one another along right-handed helical tracks. In vitro, higher-order assemblies (macrofibers) are formed by MSP filaments that coil around one another in a left-handed helical sense. The multi-filament assemblies formed by MSP in vitro are strikingly similar to the fiber complexes that characterize the sperm cytoskeleton. Thus, self-association is an intrinsic property of MSP filaments that distinguishes these fibers from actin filaments. The results obtained with MSP help clarify the roles of different aspects of the actin cytoskeleton in the generation of locomotion and, in particular, emphasize the contributions made by vectorial assembly and filament bundling.

scholarly journals Parts list for a microtubule depolymerising kinesin

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1665-1672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire T. Friel ◽  
Julie P. Welburn
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Neuronal Development ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Microtubule Cytoskeleton ◽  
Microtubule Binding ◽  
Large Group ◽  
Kinesin Superfamily ◽  
Different Parts

The Kinesin superfamily is a large group of molecular motors that use the turnover of ATP to regulate their interaction with the microtubule cytoskeleton. The coupled relationship between nucleotide turnover and microtubule binding is harnessed in various ways by these motors allowing them to carry out a variety of cellular functions. The Kinesin-13 family is a group of specialist microtubule depolymerising motors. Members of this family use their microtubule destabilising activity to regulate processes such as chromosome segregation, maintenance of cilia and neuronal development. Here, we describe the current understanding of the structure of this family of kinesins and the role different parts of these proteins play in their microtubule depolymerisation activity and in the wider function of this family of kinesins.

scholarly journals Peroxisomes move by hitchhiking on early endosomes using the novel linker protein PxdA

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Salogiannis ◽  
Martin J. Egan ◽  
Samara L. Reck-Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Early Endosome ◽  
Organelle Transport ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Coiled Coil Region ◽  
Early Endosomes

Eukaryotic cells use microtubule-based intracellular transport for the delivery of many subcellular cargos, including organelles. The canonical view of organelle transport is that organelles directly recruit molecular motors via cargo-specific adaptors. In contrast to this view, we show here that peroxisomes move by hitchhiking on early endosomes, an organelle that directly recruits the transport machinery. Using the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans we find that hitchhiking is mediated by a novel endosome-associated linker protein, PxdA. PxdA is required for normal distribution and long-range movement of peroxisomes, but not early endosomes or nuclei. Using simultaneous time-lapse imaging we find that early endosome-associated PxdA localizes to the leading edge of moving peroxisomes. We identify a coiled-coil region within PxdA that is necessary and sufficient for early endosome localization and peroxisome distribution and motility. These results present a new mechanism of microtubule-based organelle transport where peroxisomes hitchhike on early endosomes and identify PxdA as the novel linker protein required for this coupling.

scholarly journals How much information can be obtained from tracking the position of the leading edge in a scratch assay?

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (97) ◽  
pp. 20140325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart T. Johnston ◽  
Matthew J. Simpson ◽  
D. L. Sean McElwain
Keyword(s):  
Cell Motility ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Automated Image Analysis ◽  
Cell Counting ◽  
Cell Labelling ◽  
Scratch Assay ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Non Destructive

Moving cell fronts are an essential feature of wound healing, development and disease. The rate at which a cell front moves is driven, in part, by the cell motility, quantified in terms of the cell diffusivity D , and the cell proliferation rate λ . Scratch assays are a commonly reported procedure used to investigate the motion of cell fronts where an initial cell monolayer is scratched, and the motion of the front is monitored over a short period of time, often less than 24 h. The simplest way of quantifying a scratch assay is to monitor the progression of the leading edge. Use of leading edge data is very convenient because, unlike other methods, it is non-destructive and does not require labelling, tracking or counting individual cells among the population. In this work, we study short-time leading edge data in a scratch assay using a discrete mathematical model and automated image analysis with the aim of investigating whether such data allow us to reliably identify D and λ . Using a naive calibration approach where we simply scan the relevant region of the ( D , λ ) parameter space, we show that there are many choices of D and λ for which our model produces indistinguishable short-time leading edge data. Therefore, without due care, it is impossible to estimate D and λ from this kind of data. To address this, we present a modified approach accounting for the fact that cell motility occurs over a much shorter time scale than proliferation. Using this information, we divide the duration of the experiment into two periods, and we estimate D using data from the first period, whereas we estimate λ using data from the second period. We confirm the accuracy of our approach using in silico data and a new set of in vitro data, which shows that our method recovers estimates of D and λ that are consistent with previously reported values except that that our approach is fast, inexpensive, non-destructive and avoids the need for cell labelling and cell counting.

P–421 Down-expression of glycolytic pathway-related protein A1 is associated with the pathogenesis of recurrent pregnancy loss

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H B Park ◽  
C Z Pei ◽  
H A Do ◽  
S H Kim ◽  
S S Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Motility ◽  
Pregnancy Loss ◽  
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss ◽  
Peptide Sequence ◽  
Related Protein ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Maldi Tof Ms ◽  
Placental Cell ◽  
Maldi Tof ◽  
Tof Ms

Abstract Study question How does glycolytic pathway-related protein A1 (GPRPA1) relate to the pathogenesis of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)? Summary answer GPRPA1 was found as a substrate of ITI-H4 to modulate the inflammatory response and was down-expressed in the sera of RPL patients. What is known already Thus far, the pathogenesis of RPL was not fully understood. In a previous study, the short isoform ITI-H4 cleaved by kallikrein B1 was detected in the sera of RPL patients and would be an important inflammatory factor for RPL by increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. GPRPA1, a new binding partner of ITI-H4, was known to relate with pre-eclampsia and human decidualization by regulating angiogenesis and glycolysis. Also, GPRPA1 affects placental cell motility and cancer cell proliferation. Study design, size, duration Through immunoprecipitation (IP) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) analyses, we found new binding partners of ITI-H4. Of these, GPRPA1 was selected, and direct binding between GPRPA1 and ITI-H4 was confirmed by IP and GST pull-down assay. Differential expression of GPRPA1 in sera and cellular functions of GPRPA1 in the placental cell line were investigated by molecular and cellular analyses. Participants/materials, setting, methods The Flag-tagged full-length ITI-H4 and the short isoform ITI-H4 were transfected into HEK293T cells and IP has proceeded with the Flag antibody. Spots showing differential expression were analyzed by MALDI-TOF/MS analysis and peptide sequence alignment was performed. The binding between GPRPA1 and ITI-H4 was confirmed using IP and GST pull-down assay. The effects of GPRPA1 on cellular functions in the placental cell were investigated by CCK–8 assay, invasion assay, and colony-forming assay. Main results and the role of chance Through IP, MALDI-TOF/MS analysis, and peptide sequence alignment, we found new substrates of ITI-H4 related to glycolysis, T cell activation, and production of thyroid hormones. Of these, we selected GPRPA1 which is secreted in the serum to utilize a serum biomarker of RPL. GPRPA1 directly binds to the full-length ITI-H4 and also binds to the short isoform ITI-H4 shown by IP and GST pull-down assay. Besides, GPRPA1 as a protein kinase increases serine phosphorylation of ITI-H4 and inhibits the cleavage by KLKB1. GPRPA1 is expressed significantly lower in the sera of PRL patients than the control group and knockdown of GPRPA1 negatively regulates cell motility in the placental cell. Therefore, down-expressed GPRPA1 would be one of the causes of RPL and can be utilized as a serum biomarker of RPL. Limitations, reasons for caution Additional in vivo study is needed to specifically investigate the effect of GPRPA1 on the pathogenesis of RPL. Wider implications of the findings: By investigating the cellular functions of GPRPA1 in the placental cell, we found that it is an important key factor for the pathogenesis of RPL, and down-regulation of GPRPA1 can be utilized as a biomarker of RPL. Trial registration number Not applicable

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