Profilin connects actin assembly with microtubule dynamics

Profilin controls actin nucleation and assembly processes in eukaryotic cells. Actin nucleation and elongation promoting factors (NEPFs) such as Ena/VASP, formins, and WASP-family proteins recruit profilin:actin for filament formation. Some of these are found to be microtubule associated, making act...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular biology of the cell 2016-08, Vol.27 (15), p.2381-2393
Main Authors: Nejedla, Michaela, Sadi, Sara, Sulimenko, Vadym, de Almeida, Francisca Nunes, Blom, Hans, Draber, Pavel, Aspenström, Pontus, Karlsson, Roger
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin Cytoskeleton - metabolism
Actins - metabolism
Animals
Cell Adhesion
Cell Biology
Cell Culture Techniques
Cell Movement - physiology
cellbiologi
Cytoskeleton - metabolism
Fetal Proteins - metabolism
Focal Adhesions - metabolism
HEK293 Cells
Humans
Melanoma, Experimental
Microfilament Proteins - metabolism
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Microtubules - metabolism
Nuclear Proteins - metabolism
Profilins - metabolism
RNA, Small Interfering
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Summary:Profilin controls actin nucleation and assembly processes in eukaryotic cells. Actin nucleation and elongation promoting factors (NEPFs) such as Ena/VASP, formins, and WASP-family proteins recruit profilin:actin for filament formation. Some of these are found to be microtubule associated, making actin polymerization from microtubule-associated platforms possible. Microtubules are implicated in focal adhesion turnover, cell polarity establishment, and migration, illustrating the coupling between actin and microtubule systems. Here we demonstrate that profilin is functionally linked to microtubules with formins and point to formins as major mediators of this association. To reach this conclusion, we combined different fluorescence microscopy techniques, including superresolution microscopy, with siRNA modulation of profilin expression and drug treatments to interfere with actin dynamics. Our studies show that profilin dynamically associates with microtubules and this fraction of profilin contributes to balance actin assembly during homeostatic cell growth and affects micro-tubule dynamics. Hence profilin functions as a regulator of microtubule (+)-end turnover in addition to being an actin control element.
ISSN:1059-1524
1939-4586
1939-4586
DOI:10.1091/mbc.E15-11-0799