scholarly journals Lamellipodin promotes actin assembly by clustering Ena/VASP proteins and tethering them to actin filaments

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D Hansen ◽  
R Dyche Mullins
Keyword(s):  
Axon Guidance ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Network Formation ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Polymerase Activity ◽  
Actin Assembly ◽  
Filament Assembly

Enabled/Vasodilator (Ena/VASP) proteins promote actin filament assembly at multiple locations, including: leading edge membranes, focal adhesions, and the surface of intracellular pathogens. One important Ena/VASP regulator is the mig-10/Lamellipodin/RIAM family of adaptors that promote lamellipod formation in fibroblasts and drive neurite outgrowth and axon guidance in neurons. To better understand how MRL proteins promote actin network formation we studied the interactions between Lamellipodin (Lpd), actin, and VASP, both in vivo and in vitro. We find that Lpd binds directly to actin filaments and that this interaction regulates its subcellular localization and enhances its effect on VASP polymerase activity. We propose that Lpd delivers Ena/VASP proteins to growing barbed ends and increases their polymerase activity by tethering them to filaments. This interaction represents one more pathway by which growing actin filaments produce positive feedback to control localization and activity of proteins that regulate their assembly.

scholarly journals α4/α9 Integrins Coordinate Epithelial Cell Migration Through Local Suppression of MAP Kinase Signaling Pathways

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willow Hight-Warburton ◽  
Robert Felix ◽  
Andrew Burton ◽  
Hannah Maple ◽  
Magda S. Chegkazi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Collective Cell Migration ◽  
Keratinocyte Proliferation ◽  
Basal Keratinocytes ◽  
Keratinocyte Cell

Adhesion of basal keratinocytes to the underlying extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in the control of skin homeostasis and response to injury. Integrin receptors indirectly link the ECM to the cell cytoskeleton through large protein complexes called focal adhesions (FA). FA also function as intracellular biochemical signaling platforms to enable cells to respond to changing extracellular cues. The α4β1 and α9β1 integrins are both expressed in basal keratinocytes, share some common ECM ligands, and have been shown to promote wound healing in vitro and in vivo. However, their roles in maintaining epidermal homeostasis and relative contributions to pathological processes in the skin remain unclear. We found that α4β1 and α9β1 occupied distinct regions in monolayers of a basal keratinocyte cell line (NEB-1). During collective cell migration (CCM), α4 and α9 integrins co-localized along the leading edge. Pharmacological inhibition of α4β1 and α9β1 integrins increased keratinocyte proliferation and induced a dramatic change in cytoskeletal remodeling and FA rearrangement, detrimentally affecting CCM. Further analysis revealed that α4β1/α9β1 integrins suppress extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activity to control migration through the regulation of downstream kinases including Mitogen and Stress Activated Kinase 1 (MSK1). This work demonstrates the roles of α4β1 and α9β1 in regulating migration in response to damage cues.

scholarly journals Distinct phospho-forms of cortactin differentially regulate actin polymerization and focal adhesions

2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (5) ◽  
pp. C1113-C1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E. Kruchten ◽  
Eugene W. Krueger ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Mark A. McNiven
Keyword(s):  
Cell Migration ◽  
Focal Adhesion ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Serine Phosphorylation ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Actin Assembly

Cortactin is an actin-binding protein that is overexpressed in many cancers and is a substrate for both tyrosine and serine/threonine kinases. Tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin has been observed to increase cell motility and invasion in vivo, although it has been reported to have both positive and negative effects on actin polymerization in vitro. In contrast, serine phosphorylation of cortactin has been shown to stimulate actin assembly in vitro. Currently, the effects of cortactin serine phosphorylation on cell migration are unclear, and furthermore, how the distinct phospho-forms of cortactin may differentially contribute to cell migration has not been directly compared. Therefore, we tested the effects of different tyrosine and serine phospho-mutants of cortactin on lamellipodial protrusion, actin assembly within cells, and focal adhesion dynamics. Interestingly, while expression of either tyrosine or serine phospho-mimetic cortactin mutants resulted in increased lamellipodial protrusion and cell migration, these effects appeared to be via distinct processes. Cortactin mutants mimicking serine phosphorylation appeared to predominantly affect actin polymerization, whereas mutation of cortactin tyrosine residues resulted in alterations in focal adhesion turnover. Thus these findings provide novel insights into how distinct phospho-forms of cortactin may differentially contribute to actin and focal adhesion dynamics to control cell migration.

scholarly journals How Listeria exploits host cell actin to form its own cytoskeleton. II. Nucleation, actin filament polarity, filament assembly, and evidence for a pointed end capper.

1992 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
L G Tilney ◽  
D J DeRosier ◽  
A Weber ◽  
M S Tilney
Keyword(s):  
Host Cell ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Critical Concentration ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Tightly Coupled ◽  
Pointed End ◽  
Phagosomal Membrane ◽  
Simple Picture

After Listeria, a bacterium, is phagocytosed by a macrophage, it dissolves the phagosomal membrane and enters the cytoplasm. The Listeria than nucleates actin filaments from its surface. These newly assembled actin filaments show unidirectional polarity with their barbed ends associated with the surface of the Listeria. Using actin concentrations below the pointed end critical concentration we find that filament elongation must be occurring by monomers adding to the barbed ends, the ends associated with the Listerial surface. If Listeria with tails are incubated in G actin under polymerizing conditions, the Listeria is translocated away from its preformed tail by the elongation of filaments attached to the Listeria. This experiment and others tell us that in vivo filament assembly must be tightly coupled to filament capping and cross-bridging so that if one process outstrips another, chaos ensues. We also show that the actin filaments in the tail are capped on their pointed ends which inhibits further elongation and/or disassembly in vitro. From these results we suggest a simple picture of how Listeria competes effectively for host cell actin. When Listeria secretes a nucleator, the host's actin subunits polymerize into a filament. Host cell machinery terminate the assembly leaving a short filament. Listeria overcomes the host control by nucleating new filaments and thus many short filaments assemble. The newest filaments push existing ones into a growing tail. Thus the competition is between nucleation of filaments caused by Listeria and the filament terminators produced by the host.

scholarly journals mDia1 Targets v-Src to the Cell Periphery and Facilitates Cell Transformation, Tumorigenesis, and Invasion

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (19) ◽  
pp. 4604-4615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Tanji ◽  
Toshimasa Ishizaki ◽  
Saman Ebrahimi ◽  
Yuko Tsuboguchi ◽  
Taiko Sukezane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Small Gtpase ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Morphological Transformation ◽  
Focus Formation

ABSTRACT The small GTPase Rho regulates cell morphogenesis through remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. While Rho is overexpressed in many clinical cancers, the role of Rho signaling in oncogenesis remains unknown. mDia1 is a Rho effector producing straight actin filaments. Here we transduced mouse embryonic fibroblasts from mDia1-deficient mice with temperature-sensitive v-Src and examined the involvement and mechanism of the Rho-mDia1 pathway in Src-induced oncogenesis. We showed that in v-Src-transduced mDia1-deficient cells, formation of actin filaments is suppressed, and v-Src in the perinuclear region does not move to focal adhesions upon a temperature shift. Consequently, membrane translocation of v-Src, v-Src-induced morphological transformation, and podosome formation are all suppressed in mDia1-deficient cells with impaired tyrosine phosphorylation. mDia1-deficient cells show reduced transformation in vitro as examined by focus formation and colony formation in soft agar and exhibit suppressed tumorigenesis and invasion when implanted in nude mice in vivo. Given overexpression of c-Src in various cancers, these findings suggest that Rho-mDia1 signaling facilitates malignant transformation and invasion by manipulating the actin cytoskeleton and targeting Src to the cell periphery.

scholarly journals Activation of the Arp2/3 Complex by the Actin Filament Binding Protein Abp1p

2001 ◽  
Vol 153 (3) ◽  
pp. 627-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce L. Goode ◽  
Avital A. Rodal ◽  
Georjana Barnes ◽  
David G. Drubin
Keyword(s):  
Actin Filament ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Actin Assembly ◽  
Related Protein ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Actin Networks ◽  
Specific Step

The actin-related protein (Arp) 2/3 complex plays a central role in assembly of actin networks. Because distinct actin-based structures mediate diverse processes, many proteins are likely to make spatially and temporally regulated interactions with the Arp2/3 complex. We have isolated a new activator, Abp1p, which associates tightly with the yeast Arp2/3 complex. Abp1p contains two acidic sequences (DDW) similar to those found in SCAR/WASp proteins. We demonstrate that mutation of these sequences abolishes Arp2/3 complex activation in vitro. Genetic studies indicate that this activity is important for Abp1p functions in vivo. In contrast to SCAR/WASp proteins, Abp1p binds specifically to actin filaments, not monomers. Actin filament binding is mediated by the ADF/cofilin homology (ADF-H) domain of Abp1p and is required for Arp2/3 complex activation in vitro. We demonstrate that Abp1p recruits Arp2/3 complex to the sides of filaments, suggesting a novel mechanism of activation. Studies in yeast and mammalian cells indicate that Abp1p is involved functionally in endocytosis. Based on these results, we speculate that Abp1p may link Arp2/3-mediated actin assembly to a specific step in endocytosis.

Rho GTPase CDC42 Signals Separately Regulate Directed Migration Versus Random Movement in Neutrophil.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 636-636
Author(s):  
Marie-Dominique Filippi ◽  
Haiming Xu ◽  
Kathleen Szczur ◽  
Yi Zheng ◽  
David A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Actin Assembly ◽  
Directed Migration ◽  
Attachment Structures ◽  
Pmn Functions

Abstract Neutrophils (PMN) are a critical cell in inflammation. In response to external stimuli, they activate various signaling pathways to move rapidly to a site of microbial invasion and perform phagocytosis, cytokine and reactive oxygen species release. Rho GTPases, Rac1, Rac2, CDC42 and Rho, are central regulators of cell movement via actin rearrangement. We have shown the specific role of Rac1 and Rac2 in PMN functions (Gu, Science 2003; Filippi, Nat Immunol, 2004) which raises the question of the role of other Rho GTPases in PMN functions. CDC42 primarily regulates filopodia formation and controls cell polarity and migration in non-hematopoietic cells and some hematopoietic cell lines. Most of previous studies have used dominant active or negative mutants which lack specificity and cannot be used to define in vivo cell biology. Here, we used mice genetically deficient in the CDC42 negative regulator CDC42 GTPase Activating Protein (GAP) to study the role of CDC42 in PMN functions in vitro and in vivo. PMN deficient in CDC42GAP (CDC42GAP−/−) displayed a 2-fold increase in CDC42 activity. In vivo recruitment of PMN in peritoneal cavities was significantly higher in CDC42GAP−/− animals than in WT mice (4.5 ± 0.3x106 vs 3.4 ± 0.2x106, p<0.05) indicating that CDC42 plays a physiological role in neutrophil migration. We examined F-actin assembly upon integrin ligation. Podosome-like structures identified by a vinculin ring surrounding F-actin that are present at the leading edge in WT PMN were significantly reduced in frequency in the mutant cells (15% vs 3%). In addition, CDC42GAP−/− PMN showed increased lateral filopodia-like formation and abnormally elongated uropod with tail filopodia. Thus, CDC42GAP−/− PMN appeared less polarized than WT PMN (50% vs 16%). This abnormal F-actin assembly was associated with abnormal cell motility. In vitro, CDC42GAP−/− PMN showed increase random movement (chemokinesis) compared with WT PMN. By contrast but similar to the loss of CDC42 activity, CDC42GAP−/− PMN displayed defective directed migration towards fMLP suggesting that CDC42 activity plays a critical role in both chemokinesis and directed migration. These functions may be regulated by podosome-like and filopodia formation respectively. To further understand this correlation at a mechanistic level, we examined MAPK signaling. CDC42GAP−/− PMN showed sustained ERK phosphorylation at 15min compared to WT PMN. By contrast, p38MAPK was significantly decreased in CDC42GAP−/− PMN compared to WT at both 5 and 15min. Pharmacological inhibition of ERK activity in CDC42GAP−/− PMN using U0126 rescued the abnormal increased chemokinesis to level similar to WT and was associated with partial rescue of podosome-like formation at the leading edge of the cells. Inhibition of p38MAPK activity in WT PMN using SB203580 reduced directed migration and was associated with increased tail filopodia that mimicked CDC42GAP−/− PMN. Taken together, these results suggest that CDC42GAP plays an important role in PMN chemokinesis and directed migration likely via distinct signaling pathways. CDC42GAP may control chemokinesis via ERK-mediated podosome-like turnover at the leading edge. CDC42GAP may regulate directed migration by inhibiting filopodia at the uropod via p38MAPK and subsequently by restraining filopodia to the leading edge. This reinforces the importance of turnover of attachment structures during cell movement and suggests a new role for CDC42 in attachment structures in neutrophils and for p38MAPK in CDC42-mediated directed migration.

scholarly journals WASP-interacting Protein Is Important for Actin Filament Elongation and Prompt Pseudopod Formation in Response to a Dynamic Chemoattractant Gradient

2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 4564-4575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Myers ◽  
Laura R. Leeper ◽  
Chang Y. Chung
Keyword(s):  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Actin Assembly ◽  
Interacting Protein

The role of WASP-interacting protein (WIP) in the process of F-actin assembly during chemotaxis of Dictyostelium was examined. Mutations of the WH1 domain of WASP led to a reduction in binding to WIPa, a newly identified homolog of mammalian WIP, a reduction of F-actin polymerization at the leading edge, and a reduction in chemotactic efficiency. WIPa localizes to sites of new pseudopod protrusion and colocalizes with WASP at the leading edge. WIPa increases F-actin elongation in vivo and in vitro in a WASP-dependent manner. WIPa translocates to the cortical membrane upon uniform cAMP stimulation in a time course that parallels F-actin polymerization. WIPa-overexpressing cells exhibit multiple microspike formation and defects in chemotactic efficiency due to frequent changes of direction. Reduced expression of WIPa by expressing a hairpin WIPa (hp WIPa) construct resulted in more polarized cells that exhibit a delayed response to a new chemoattractant source due to delayed extension of pseudopod toward the new gradient. These results suggest that WIPa is required for new pseudopod protrusion and prompt reorientation of cells toward a new gradient by initiating localized bursts of actin polymerization and/or elongation.

scholarly journals Rho GTPases Control Polarity, Protrusion, and Adhesion during Cell Movement

1999 ◽  
Vol 144 (6) ◽  
pp. 1235-1244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine D. Nobes ◽  
Alan Hall
Keyword(s):  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Animal Cells ◽  
Forward Movement ◽  
Direction Of Movement

Cell movement is essential during embryogenesis to establish tissue patterns and to drive morphogenetic pathways and in the adult for tissue repair and to direct cells to sites of infection. Animal cells move by crawling and the driving force is derived primarily from the coordinated assembly and disassembly of actin filaments. The small GTPases, Rho, Rac, and Cdc42, regulate the organization of actin filaments and we have analyzed their contributions to the movement of primary embryo fibroblasts in an in vitro wound healing assay. Rac is essential for the protrusion of lamellipodia and for forward movement. Cdc42 is required to maintain cell polarity, which includes the localization of lamellipodial activity to the leading edge and the reorientation of the Golgi apparatus in the direction of movement. Rho is required to maintain cell adhesion during movement, but stress fibers and focal adhesions are not required. Finally, Ras regulates focal adhesion and stress fiber turnover and this is essential for cell movement. We conclude that the signal transduction pathways controlled by the four small GTPases, Rho, Rac, Cdc42, and Ras, cooperate to promote cell movement.

scholarly journals The roles of the rod end and the tail in vimentin IF assembly and IF network formation

1993 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
MB McCormick ◽  
P Kouklis ◽  
A Syder ◽  
E Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Network Formation ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Transfected Cells ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Filament Structure

Using mutagenesis, we investigated the importance of two vimentin domains: (a) a highly conserved segment near the carboxy end of the alpha-helical rod, and (b) the tail, with which the rod end is known to interact. As judged by in vitro filament assembly and expression in transiently transfected cells lacking an endogenous vimentin network, the rod-tail interaction is not essential for 10 nm filament structure in vitro or for formation of fibrous arrays in culture. However, when mutated, amino acid residues within the rod and the tail segments can cause perturbations in IF assembly and in IF network formation. Finally, our studies show that the vimentin tail seems to play a role both in thermodynamically stabilizing IF structure in vitro and in establishing proper IF networks in vivo.

scholarly journals Do the ends justify the mean? Proline mutations at the ends of the keratin coiled-coil rod segment are more disruptive than internal mutations.

1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 1181-1195 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Letai ◽  
P A Coulombe ◽  
E Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Residue ◽  
Network Formation ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Type I ◽  
Cellular Interactions ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Filament Network

Intermediate filament (IF) assembly is remarkable, in that it appears to be self-driven by the primary sequence of IF proteins, a family (40-220 kd) with diverse sequences, but similar secondary structures. Each IF polypeptide has a central 310 amino acid residue alpha-helical rod domain, involved in coiled-coil dinner formation. Two short (approximately 10 amino acid residue) stretches at the ends of this rod are more highly conserved than the rest, although the molecular basis for this is unknown. In addition, the rod is segmented by three short nonhelical linkers of conserved location, but not sequence. To examine the degree to which different conserved helical and nonhelical rod sequences contribute to dimer, tetramer, and higher ordered interactions, we introduced proline mutations in residues throughout the rod of a type I keratin, and we removed existing proline residues from the linker regions. To further probe the role of the rod ends, we introduced more subtle mutations near the COOH-terminus. We examined the consequences of these mutations on (a) IF network formation in vivo, and (b) 10-nm filament assembly in vitro. Surprisingly, all proline mutations located deep in the coiled-coil rod segment showed rather modest effects on filament network formation and 10-nm filament assembly. In addition, removing the existing proline residues was without apparent effect in vivo, and in vitro, these mutants assembled into 10-nm filaments with a tendency to aggregate, but with otherwise normal appearance. The most striking effects on filament network formation and IF assembly were observed with mutations at the very ends of the rod. These data indicate that sequences throughout the rod are not equal with respect to their role in filament network formation and in 10-nm filament assembly. Specifically, while the internal rod segments seem able to tolerate considerable changes in alpha-helical conformation, the conserved ends seem to be essential for creating a very specific structure, in which even small perturbations can lead to loss of IF stability and disruption of normal cellular interactions. These findings have important implications for the disease Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex, arising from point mutations in keratins K5 or K14.

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