Fascin- and alpha-Actinin-Bundled Networks Contain Intrinsic Structural Features that Drive Protein Sorting

作者:Winkelman Jonathan D; Suarez Cristian; Hocky Glen M; Harker Alyssa J; Morganthaler Alisha N; Christensen Jenna R; Voth Gregory A; Bartles James R; Kovar David R*
来源:Current Biology, 2016, 26(20): 2697-2706.
DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.080

摘要

Cells assemble and maintain functionally distinct actin cytoskeleton networks with various actin filament organizations and dynamics through the coordinated action of different sets of actin-binding proteins. The biochemical and functional properties of diverse actin-binding proteins, both alone and in combination, have been increasingly well studied. Conversely, how different sets of actin-binding proteins properly sort to distinct actin filament networks in the first place is not nearly as well understood. Actin-binding protein sorting is critical for the self-organization of diverse dynamic actin cytoskeleton networks within a common cytoplasm. Using in vitro reconstitution techniques including biomimetic assays and single-molecule multi-color total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we discovered that sorting of the prominent actin-bundling proteins fascin and oc-actinin to distinct networks is an intrinsic behavior, free of complicated cellular signaling cascades. When mixed, fascin and alpha-actinin mutually exclude each other by promoting their own recruitment and inhibiting recruitment of the other, resulting in the formation of distinct fascin- or alpha-actinin-bundled domains. Subdiffraction-resolution light microscopy and negative-staining electron microscopy revealed that fascin domains are densely packed, whereas alpha-actinin domains consist of widely spaced parallel actin filaments. Importantly, other actin-binding proteins such as fimbrin and espin show high specificity between these two bundle types within the same reaction. Here we directly observe that fascin and alpha-actinin intrinsically segregate to discrete bundled domains that are specifically recognized by other actin-binding proteins.