Membrane curvature controls dynamin polymerization

Abstract

The generation of membrane curvature in intracellular traffic involves many proteins that can curve lipid bilayers. Among these, dynamin-like proteins were shown to deform membranes into tubules, and thus far are the only proteins known to mechanically drive membrane fission. Because dynamin forms a helical coat circling a membrane tubule, its polymerization is thought to be responsible for this membrane deformation. Here we show that the force generated by dynamin polymerization, 18 pN, is sufficient to deform membranes yet can still be counteracted by high membrane tension. Importantly, we observe that at low dynamin concentration, polymer nucleation strongly depends on membrane curvature. This suggests that dynamin may be precisely recruited to membrane buds' necks because of their high curvature. To understand this curvature dependence, we developed a theory based on the competition between dynamin polymerization and membrane mechanical deformation. This curvature control of dynamin polymerization is predicted for a specific range of concentrations (∼0.1-10 μM), which corresponds to our measurements. More generally, we expect that any protein that binds or self-assembles onto membranes in a curvature-coupled way should behave in a qualitatively similar manner, but with its own specific range of concentration.force | nucleation | fission | endocytosis | dynamin-like proteins M embrane remodeling is an essential task of proteins involved in membrane traffic (1, 2). Dynamin is a large GTPase that has been shown to polymerize into a helical collar at the neck of endocytic buds (3), where it subsequently plays a key role in the formation of endocytic vesicles through fission (4-8). This function is fundamental, as the knockout of the dynamin neuronal isoform leads to striking defects in synapse organization and results in a strong dysfunction of neuronal activity (9). The recruitment of dynamin to endocytic buds is thought to depend on the local synthesis of phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate (PIP 2 ), as dynamin has a PIP 2 binding pleckstrin homology (PH) domain (10). Dynamin is recruited late in clathrin-coated vesicle formation, as seen by total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy (11-13). Because PIP 2 is also responsible for the binding of clathrin coats, it is expected to be present at the clathrin bud from the beginning of its formation. Thus, another explanation was suggested: Proteins that interact with dynamin and possess a curvature-sensing Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domain (such as endophilin and amphiphysin) were proposed to sense the high curvature of the neck and recruit dynamin (14). Because the curvature of the neck is increasing during clathrin-coated vesicle formation to finally reach the range needed for BAR recruitment, this could explain the arrival of dynamin at the very late stage of clathrin-coated vesicle formation. However, in solution, dynamin spontaneously associates into helices and rings (15) with an internal radius of ≈10 nm. Dynamin can also polymerize around pre...

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Synergy between Piezo1 and Piezo2 channels confers high-strain mechanosensitivity to articular cartilage

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Dual Role of BAR Domain-containing Proteins in Regulating Vesicle Release Catalyzed by the GTPase, Dynamin-2

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