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At least 955 records · Page 53Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Cooperative regulation of myosin-actin interactions by a continuous flexible chain I: actin-tropomyosin systems.

We present a model for cooperative myosin binding to the regulated actin filament, where tropomyosins are treated as a weakly-confined continuous flexible chain covering myosin binding sites. Thermal fluctuations in chain orientation are initially required for myosin binding, leaving kinked regions under which subsequent myosins may bind without further distortion of the chain. Statistical mechanics predicts the fraction of sites with bound myosin-S1 as a function of their affinities. Published S1 binding curves to regulated filaments with different tropomyosin isoforms are fitted by varying the binding constant, chain persistence length nu (in actin monomers), and chain kink energy A from a single bound S1. With skeletal tropomyosin, we find an S1 actin-binding constant of 2.2 x 10(7) M(-1), A = 1.6 k(B)T and nu = 2.7. Similar persistence lengths are found with yeast tropomyosin. Larger values are found for tropomyosin-troponin in the presence of calcium (nu = 3.7) and tropomyosins from smooth muscle and fibroblasts (nu = 4.5). The relationship of these results to structural information and the rigid-unit model of McKillop and Geeves is discussed.

Actins↗
PubMed2003

Computational analysis of F-actin turnover in cortical actin meshworks using fluorescent speckle microscopy.

Fluorescent speckle microscopy (FSM) is a new imaging technique with the potential for simultaneous visualization of translocation and dynamic turnover of polymer structures. However, the use of FSM has been limited by the lack of specialized software for analysis of the positional and photometric fluctuations of hundreds of thousand speckles in an FSM time-lapse series, and for translating this data into biologically relevant information. In this paper we present a first version of a software for automated analysis of FSM movies. We focus on mapping the assembly and disassembly kinetics of a polymer meshwork. As a model system we have employed cortical F-actin meshworks in live newt lung epithelial cells. We lay out the algorithm in detail and present results of our analysis. The high spatial and temporal resolution of our maps reveals a kinetic cycling of F-actin, where phases of polymerization alternate with depolymerization in a spatially coordinated fashion. The cycle rates change when treating cells with a low dose of the drug latrunculin A. This shows the potential of this technique for future quantitative screening of drugs affecting the actin cytoskeleton. Various control experiments demonstrate that the algorithm is robust with respect to intensity variations due to noise and photobleaching and that effects of focus plane drifts can be eliminated by manual refocusing during image acquisition.

Actins↗
PubMed1987

Kinetics of actin-myosin binding. II. Two-variable model and actin gelation.

We consider a model of actin-myosin interaction in which the sites belonging to each seven-site regulated actin unit are subdivided into two classes, "internal" and "external." The time evolution of each class of sites is considered separately, leading to a pair of coupled differential equations that may be integrated numerically. We also consider the critical sol-gel transition point for actin filaments crosslinked by two-headed heavy meromyosin (HMM). The possibility of new types of chemical oscillation and pattern formation arising from periodic sol-gel transitions is discussed.

Actins↗
PubMed1995

The actin-binding protein hisactophilin binds in vitro to partially charged membranes and mediates actin coupling to membranes.

The interaction of the actin-binding protein hisactophilin from Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae to partially charged lipid membranes composed of mixtures of L-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) with L-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) and L-alpha-phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is studied by film balance experiments, microfluorescence, and lateral diffusion measurements at low ionic strengths (approximately 20 mM). Excess surface concentrations and adhesion energies of the protein are evaluated by the application of Gibbs law of surface excess as a function of charged lipid content. Protein expressed in E. coli lacking a myristic acid chain (EC-HIS) and natural protein with a fatty acid (DIC-HIS) isolated from Dictyostelium cells are compared. For mixtures of DMPG and DMPC, protein binding leads to an increase in lateral pressure of the monolayer (at constant area) and causes strong lipid immobilization pointing to partial penetration of the protein into the lipid layer. The natural protein causes a much stronger immobilization than does EC-HIS. For a given bulk concentration, the adsorbed protein/lipid molar ratio increases with the molar fraction chi PG of charged lipid but saturates at about 50 mol% of DMPG. Natural hisactophilin (DIC-HIS) binding to PIP2-containing monolayers is purely electrostatic at low bulk concentration cb, and protein penetration dominates only at cb > 68 nM. Fluorescence experiments demonstrate that the natural protein (DIC-HIS) can mediate the binding of monomeric actin or very small oligomers to membranes, showing that the adsorbed protein remains functional. In contrast, the recombinant hisactophilin (EC-HIS) can mediate only the membrane coupling of larger actin structures.

Actins↗
PubMed2002

The place of inactivated actin and its kinetic predecessor in actin folding-unfolding.

The kinetics of actin unfolding induced by guanidine hydrochloride of different concentrations was studied. The parametric representation of the kinetic dependencies of tryptophan fluorescence intensity changes recorded at two wavelengths allowed us to detect and characterize a new essentially unfolded kinetic intermediate. Its characteristics suggested that this intermediate state is a premolten globule. It was shown that the equilibrium transition between inactivated and completely unfolded states is also a two-step process and proceeds via an essentially unfolded kinetic intermediate. The new kinetic pathway of actin unfolding--refolding was proposed. According to it, the founded essentially unfolded kinetic state is the on-pathway intermediate, while inactivated actin is the off-pathway misfolded state stabilized by aggregation of partially folded macromolecules of protein.

Actins↗
PubMed2005

Lsb5p interacts with actin regulators Sla1p and Las17p, ubiquitin and Arf3p to couple actin dynamics to membrane trafficking processes.

The importance of coupling the process of endocytosis to factors that regulate actin dynamics has been clearly demonstrated in yeast, and many proteins involved in these mechanisms have been identified. Sla1p is a well-characterized yeast protein that binds both to activators of actin dynamics, Las17p and Pan1p, and to cargo proteins, such as the pheromone receptor Ste2p. Previously, we reported that the Lsb5 protein plays a role in endocytosis in yeast and that it localizes to the plasma membrane. Lsb5p has a similar structure to the GGA [Golgi-localized, gamma-ear-containing, Arf (ADP-ribosylation factor)-binding] family of proteins with an N-terminal VHS [Vps27p (vacuolar protein sorting protein 27), Hrs, Stam] domain and a GAT (GGA and Tom1) domain. It does not, however, contain either a gamma-adaptin ear or a clathrin-binding motif. In the present study, we have further defined its interaction site with both Sla1p and with Las17p, two regulators of actin dynamics. The site of interaction with Sla1p involves the Sla1 HD1 (homology domain 1), which also was shown previously to interact with the pheromone receptor Ste2p. We also demonstrate hitherto unknown interactions between Lsb5p and the active form of the yeast Arf3 protein, and with ubiquitin. Finally, we demonstrate a requirement for Arf3p expression in order to localize Lsb5p to the correct cortical site in cells. Taken together, our data provide further evidence for the role of Lsb5p in membrane-trafficking events at the plasma membrane and also demonstrate for the first time an interaction of Arf3 with the endocytic machinery in yeast.

ADP-Ribosylation Factors↗
PubMed2002

Cloning and sequences of beta-actin genes from Rhodeus notatus and the silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (cyprinidae) and the phylogeny of Cyprinid fishes inferred from beta-actin genes.

Complete beta-actin genes from Rhodeus notatus and Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into pCRII vector for further characterization. The beta-actin genes of these two fishes were 1718 and 1755 bp in sequence length, respectively, and both of them contained 5 exons and 4 introns. The exon and intron boundaries were identified with the GT/AG rule. The phylogenetic implications of beta-actin gene in the family Cyprinidae were shortly discussed.

Actins↗
PubMed1981

Direct measurement of actin polymerization rate constants by electron microscopy of actin filaments nucleated by isolated microvillus cores.

We used actin filament bundles isolated from intestinal brush-border microvilli to nucleate the polymerization of pure muscle actin monomers into filaments. Growth rates were determined by electron microscopy by measuring the change in the length of the filaments as a function of time. The linear dependence of the growth rates on the actin monomer concentration provided the rate constants for monomer association and dissociation at the two ends of the growing filament. The rapidly growing ("barbed") end has higher association and dissociation rate constants than the slowly growing ("pointed") end. The values of these rate constants differ in 20 mM KCl compared with 75 mM KCl, 5 mM MgSO4. 2 microM cytochalasin B blocks growth entirely at the barbed end, apparently by reducing both association and dissociation rate constants to near zero, but inhibits growth at the pointed end to only a small extent.

Actins↗
PubMed1996

NG2 proteoglycan and the actin-binding protein fascin define separate populations of actin-containing filopodia and lamellipodia during cell spreading and migration.

The transmembrane proteoglycan NG2 is able to interact both with components of the extracellular matrix and with the actin cytoskeleton. An examination of the distribution of NG2 during cell spreading suggests that NG2 can associate with two distinct types of actin-containing cytoskeletal structures, depending on the nature of the stimulus derived from the substratum. On fibronectin-coated dishes, cell surface NG2 associates exclusively with stress fibers developing within the cell. On poly-L-lysine-coated dishes, cell surface NG2 is associated with radial processes extending from the cell periphery. Spreading on fibronectin/poly-L-lysine mixtures, as well as on matrix components such as laminin, tenascin, and type VI collagen, produces cells with mosaic characteristics, i.e., NG2 is associated with both types of structures. NG2-positive radial processes are distinct from a second population of radial structures that contain fascin. NG2-positive extensions appear to be individual self-contained units (filopodia), whereas fascin is associated with actin ribs within sheets of membrane (lamellipodia). NG2- and fascin-positive structures are often localized to opposite poles of spreading cells, suggesting a possible role for the two classes of cellular extensions in the establishment of cell polarity during morphogenesis or migration. Time lapse imaging confirms the presence of lamellipodia on the leading edges of migrating cells, while numerous filopodia are present on trailing edges.

Actins↗
PubMed2002

Plant mitochondria move on F-actin, but their positioning in the cortical cytoplasm depends on both F-actin and microtubules.

Mitochondrion movement and positioning was studied in elongating cultured cells of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), containing mitochondria-localized green fluorescent protein. In these cells mitochondria are either actively moving in strands of cytoplasm transversing or bordering the vacuole, or immobile positioned in the cortical layer of cytoplasm. Depletion of the cell's ATP stock with the uncoupling agent DNP shows that the movement is much more energy demanding than the positioning. The active movement is F-actin based. It is inhibited by the actin filament disrupting drug latrunculin B, the myosin ATPase inhibitor 2,3-butanedione 2-monoxime and the sulphydryl-modifying agent N-ethylmaleimide. The microtubule disrupting drug oryzalin did not affect the movement of mitochondria itself, but it slightly stimulated the recruitment of cytoplasmic strands, along which mitochondria travel. The immobile mitochondria are often positioned along parallel lines, transverse or oblique to the cell axis, in the cortical cytoplasm of elongated cells. This positioning is mainly microtubule based. After complete disruption of the F-actin, the mitochondria parked themselves into conspicuous parallel arrays transverse or oblique to the cell axis or clustered around chloroplasts and around patches and strands of endoplasmic reticulum. Oryzalin inhibited all positioning of the mitochondria in parallel arrays.

Actins↗
PubMed1995

Myosin light chain kinase from vascular smooth muscle inhibits the ATP-dependent interaction between actin and myosin by binding to actin.

Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) was prepared from smooth muscle of bovine aorta. MLCK inhibited the ATP-dependent movement of actin filaments on a glass surface coated with smooth muscle myosin that had been phosphorylated. The inhibitory effect was abolished by calmodulin in the presence of Ca2+ (Ca-CaM). The abolition was also observed when the concentration of actin filaments was increased. The inhibitory effect and its abolition were related to the actin-binding activity of MLCK, that is antagonized by Ca-CaM.

Actins↗
PubMed1980

Extractability of actin and actin-like protein from myosin-removed myofibrils of skeletal muscle.

Extractability of 42,000 dalton components (42 K component) from myosin-removed myofibrils (called I-Z-I segments in this paper) under low-salt conditions was compared at pH 6.5 and pH 8.0. Kinetic and isoelectric focusing analysis of the 42 K components revealed that the 42 K component extracted at pH 8.0 was actin, which depolymerized from the end of the I-filaments of the I-Z-I segments. On the other hand, isoelectric focusing of the 42 K component extracted at pH 6.5 indicated two protein bands. The relative mobility of the minor band was virtually identical to that of actin. While the isoelectric point of the major band was more acidic than that of skeletal muscle actin. Therefore, it is concluded that there are at least two kinds of 42,000 dalton components in the myosin-removed myofibrils.

Actins↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of Bombyx mori and Helicoverpa armigera cytoplasmic actin genes provides clues to the evolution of actin genes in insects.

The cytoplasmic actin genes BmA3 and BmA4 of Bombyx mori were found clustered in a single genomic clone in the same orientation. As a similar clustering of the two cytoplasmic actin genes Ha3a and Ha3b also occurs in another lepidopteran, Helicoverpa armigera, we analyzed the sequence of the pair of genes from each species. Due to the high conservation of cytoplasmic actins, the coding sequence of the four genes was easily aligned, allowing the detection of similarities in noncoding exon and intron sequences as well as in flanking sequences. All four genes exhibited a conserved intron inserted in codon 117, an original position not encountered in other species. It can thus be postulated that all of these genes derived from a common ancestral gene carrying this intron after a single event of insertion. The comparison of the four genes revealed that the genes of B. mori and H. armigera are related in two different ways: the coding sequence and the intron that interrupts it are more similar between paralogous genes within each species than between orthologous genes of the two species. In contrast, the other (noncoding) regions exhibited the greatest similarity between a gene of one species and a gene of the other species, defining two pairs of orthologous genes, BmA3 and HaA3a on one hand and BmA4 and HaA3b on the other. However, in each species, the very high similarities of the coding sequence and of the single intron that interrupts it strongly suggest that gene conversion events have homogenized this part of the sequence. As the divergence of the B. mori genes was higher than that of the H. armigera genes, we postulated that the gene conversion occurred earlier in the B. mori lineage. This leads us to hypothesize that gene conversion could also be responsible for the original transfer of the common intron to the second gene copy before the divergence of the B. mori and H. armigera lineages.

3' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed1987

Hirano body filaments contain actin and actin-associated proteins.

Hirano bodies are eosinophilic, rod-shaped intraneuronal inclusions whose frequency increases with age and with Alzheimer's disease. To investigate their composition and possible relationship to the neuronal cytoskeleton, we employed immunocytochemistry and immunoelectronmicroscopy by using antisera to cytoskeletal proteins. The presence of actin, alpha-actinin, vinculin and tropomyosin was demonstrated diffusely throughout the Hirano body. The presence of these proteins supports the contention that Hirano bodies are derived from an abnormal organization of the neuronal cytoskeleton. The staining of Hirano bodies with fluorescent labelled phalloidin, a probe with a unique affinity for F-actin, indicates that the actin in Hirano bodies is in the F-state. Results of high voltage electron microscopy on 1.0 and 0.5 micron sections confirm the purely filamentous nature of Hirano bodies. These findings suggest that the mechanism of formation of Hirano bodies is different from that of the neurofibrillary tangle, another characteristic intraneuronal inclusion seen in Alzheimer patients.

Actins↗
PubMed1985

Reconstruction of appropriate tubulin and actin gene regulation after transient transfection of cloned beta-tubulin and beta-actin genes.

Most animal cells rapidly depress the synthesis of new alpha- and beta-tubulin polypeptides in response to microtubule inhibitors that increase the pool of depolymerized subunits. This apparent autoregulatory control of tubulin synthesis is achieved through the modulation of tubulin mRNA levels. To begin to analyze the molecular mechanism responsible for such regulation, we have introduced exogenous beta-tubulin gene sequences into cultured mouse cells by DEAE-dextran-mediated DNA transfection. We find that the heterologous tubulin genes are expressed and that their RNA transcripts are accurately processed to mature mRNAs. Moreover, after drug-induced microtubule depolymerization, the expression of unintegrated tubulin gene sequences is regulated coordinately with the endogenous mouse alpha- and beta-tubulin RNA transcripts. Such regulation appears to be specific for transfected tubulin genes, since similar down-regulation is not observed in a contransfected beta-actin gene. Curiously, in response to microtubule depolymerization, the amount of RNA transcripts from a transfected beta-actin gene increases twofold, which qualitatively and quantitatively parallels that seen by the RNAs encoded by the endogenous actin genes. Thus, the transient DNA transfection approach may permit the unambiguous elucidation of regulatory sequences involved in establishing the proper level of expression of these two important cytoskeletal gene families.

Actins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of liver plasma membranes on G-actin. II. Fate of actin-bound nucleotide.

G-actin incubated in presence of a liver fraction enriched in plasma membranes rapidly denatures, as evidenced by the biphasic loss of polymerizability and DNase inhibition. The inactivation is shown to result from the loss of actin-bound nucleotide induced by the rapid destruction of free nucleotides by membrane NPases. This is further supported by the observation that addition of either ATP or ADP to actin that has been exposed to membranes completely stops the denaturation process and partly restores polymerizing capacity. The biphasic aspect of inactivation is explained by the protective action of AMP and (or) adenosine formed in the course of the incubation.

Actins↗
PubMed1986

Stimulated cytokineplasts from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes mobilize calcium and polymerize actin. Cytoplasts made in cytochalasin B retain a defect in actin polymerization.

Biologically active fragments from polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are simplified systems that can be used to elucidate specific pathways by which cell function is altered. In the current study we have found that cytokineplasts, which are motile fragments derived from the leading front (protopod, lamellipodium) of human PMN, rapidly increase their intracellular free calcium concentration when stimulated by chemotactic formyl peptide or by leukotriene B4, as measured by Quin-2 acetoxymethyl ester fluorescence. As in the parent cell, extracellular EGTA blunts this response only partially. Hence, cytokineplasts retain a mobilizable internal calcium pool, despite a general lack of intracellular organelles. In addition, formyl peptide more than doubles the amount of cytoskeleton-associated (polymerized) actin. In contrast, cytoplasts made by high-speed, discontinuous gradient centrifugation of cytochalasin B-treated leukocytes also increase their intracellular free calcium on stimulation, but cytoskeleton-associated actin increases by only approximately 14%. Thus, defective motile function in the latter cytoplast is associated with compromised effector function (actin polymerization).

Actins↗