Direct visualization of secondary structures of F-actin by electron cryomicroscopy

Actin polymerization powers the directed motility of eukaryotic cells. Sustained motility requires rapid filament turnover and subunit recycling. The essential regulatory protein cofilin accelerates network remodeling by severing actin filaments and increasing the concentration of ends available for elongation and subunit exchange. Although cofilin effects on actin filament assembly dynamics have been extensively studied, the molecular mechanism of cofilin-induced filament severing is not understood. Here we demonstrate that actin filament severing by vertebrate cofilin is driven by the linked dissociation of a single cation that controls filament structure and mechanical properties. Vertebrate cofilin only weakly severs Saccharomyces cerevisiae actin filaments lacking this "stiffness cation" unless a stiffness cation-binding site is engineered into the actin molecule. Moreover, vertebrate cofilin rescues the viability of a S. cerevisiae cofilin deletion mutant only when the stiffness cation site is simultaneously introduced into actin, demonstrating that filament severing is the essential function of cofilin in cells. This work reveals that site-specific interactions with cations serve a key regulatory function in actin filament fragmentation and dynamics.cytoskeleton | persistence length | mechanics | electron cryomicroscopy A ctin polymerization powers the directed motility of eukaryotic cells and some pathogenic bacteria (1-3). Actin assembly also plays critical roles in endocytosis, cytokinesis, and establishment of cell polarity. Sustained motility requires filament disassembly and subunit recycling. The essential regulatory protein cofilin severs actin filaments (4-6), which accelerates actin network reorganization by increasing the concentration of filament ends available for subunit exchange (7).Cofilin binding alters the structure and mechanical properties of filaments, which effectively introduces local "defects" that compromise filament integrity and promote severing (5). Filaments with bound cofilin have altered twist (8, 9) and are more compliant in both bending and twisting than bare filaments (10-13). It has been suggested that deformations in filament shape promote fragmentation at or near regions of topological and mechanical discontinuities, such as boundaries between bare and cofilin-decorated segments along partially decorated filaments (5,12,(14)(15)(16)(17)(18).Cations modulate actin filament structure and mechanical properties (19) and cofilin dissociates filament-associated cations (20), leading us to hypothesize that cation-binding interactions regulate filament severing by cofilin. Cations bind filaments at two discrete and specific sites positioned between adjacent subunits along the long-pitch helix of the filament (19, 21). These cation binding sites are referred to as "polymerization" and "stiffness" sites based on their roles in filament assembly and mechanics, respectively. These discrete sites bind both monovalent and divalent cations with a range of affinities (low millimolar f...

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sparx Alignmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Site-specific cation release drives actin filament severing by vertebrate cofilin

Kang

Bradley

Cao

et al. 2014

“…Upon polymerization, the actin protomer undergoes a conformational change: The two major domains, which are twisted in monomeric G-actin, become flatter with respect to one another in F-actin. Another feature of F-actin is that it can adopt multiple states in which the protomers adopt varied twists and tilts with respect to one another, as well as having different loop conformations (8)(9)(10)(11).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vascular disease-causing mutation R258C in ACTA2 disrupts actin dynamics and interaction with myosin

Fagnant

Bookwalter

et al. 2015

Point mutations in vascular smooth muscle α-actin (SM α-actin), encoded by the gene ACTA2, are the most prevalent cause of familial thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD). Here, we provide the first molecular characterization, to our knowledge, of the effect of the R258C mutation in SM α-actin, expressed with the baculovirus system. Smooth muscles are unique in that force generation requires both interaction of stable actin filaments with myosin and polymerization of actin in the subcortical region. Both aspects of R258C function therefore need investigation. Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy was used to quantify the growth of single actin filaments as a function of time. R258C filaments are less stable than WT and more susceptible to severing by cofilin. Smooth muscle tropomyosin offers little protection from cofilin cleavage, unlike its effect on WT actin. Unexpectedly, profilin binds tighter to the R258C monomer, which will increase the pool of globular actin (G-actin). In an in vitro motility assay, smooth muscle myosin moves R258C filaments more slowly than WT, and the slowing is exacerbated by smooth muscle tropomyosin. Under loaded conditions, small ensembles of myosin are unable to produce force on R258C actin-tropomyosin filaments, suggesting that tropomyosin occupies an inhibitory position on actin. Many of the observed defects cannot be explained by a direct interaction with the mutated residue, and thus the mutation allosterically affects multiple regions of the monomer. Our results align with the hypothesis that defective contractile function contributes to the pathogenesis of TAAD.actin | myosin II | smooth muscle | thoracic aortic aneurysms | vascular disease T horacic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD) are the 18th most common cause of death in individuals in the United States (1). The high degree of mortality is partly due to the fact that aneurysms tend to be asymptomatic until a lifethreatening acute aortic dissection occurs. Familial TAAD is an autosomal dominant disorder with variable penetrance, which is characterized by enlargement or dissection of the thoracic aorta (reviewed in 2). The most prevalent genetic cause of familial TAAD, responsible for ∼15% of all cases, are mutations in vascular smooth muscle α-actin (SM α-actin), encoded by the gene ACTA2. More than 40 mutations in ACTA2 have been identified to date (3-5). Intriguingly, ACTA2 mutations also differentially predispose individuals to occlusive vascular diseases, such as premature coronary artery disease and strokes (6). ACTA2 mutations thus can lead to either dilation of large elastic arteries like the aorta or occlusion of smaller muscular arteries.SM α-actin is the most abundant protein in vascular smooth muscle cells, constituting ∼40% of the total protein and ∼70% of the total actin, with the rest composed of β-and γ-cytoplasmic actin. Actin is critical for contraction and force production by smooth muscle cells, as well as for their proliferation and migration. Dissected aortas show s...

“…Some of these proteins and assemblies have yielded to structural definition at high resolution. There are X-ray crystal or electron-diffraction structures for the globular forms of actin (1) and the tubulins (2), and molecular models for their fibrous states based on lower-resolution electron density maps derived from cryotransmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) images (3,4). Likewise, there are experimental structures for the bacterial flagella hook and filament (5,6).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryo-transmission electron microscopy structure of a gigadalton peptide fiber of de novo design

Sharp

Bruning

Mantell

et al. 2012

Nature presents various protein fibers that bridge the nanometer to micrometer regimes. These structures provide inspiration for the de novo design of biomimetic assemblies, both to address difficulties in studying and understanding natural systems, and to provide routes to new biomaterials with potential applications in nanotechnology and medicine. We have designed a self-assembling fiber system, the SAFs, in which two small α-helical peptides are programmed to form a dimeric coiled coil and assemble in a controlled manner. The resulting fibers are tens of nm wide and tens of μm long, and, therefore, comprise millions of peptides to give gigadalton supramolecular structures. Here, we describe the structure of the SAFs determined to approximately 8 Å resolution using cryotransmission electron microscopy. Individual micrographs show clear ultrastructure that allowed direct interpretation of the packing of individual α-helices within the fibers, and the construction of a 3D electron density map. Furthermore, a model was derived using the cryotransmission electron microscopy data and side chains taken from a 2.3 Å X-ray crystal structure of a peptide building block incapable of forming fibers. This was validated using singleparticle analysis techniques, and was stable in prolonged molecular-dynamics simulation, confirming its structural viability. The level of self-assembly and self-organization in the SAFs is unprecedented for a designed peptide-based material, particularly for a system of considerably reduced complexity compared with natural proteins. This structural insight is a unique high-resolution description of how α-helical fibrils pack into larger protein fibers, and provides a basis for the design and engineering of future biomaterials.fibrous proteins | protein design | helical reconstruction | X-ray crystallography