Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
Curr Biol. 2010 May 11;20(9):861-7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.03.026. Epub 2010 Apr 1.
Cell locomotion and endocytosis are powered by the rapid polymerization and turnover of branched actin filament networks nucleated by Arp2/3 complex. Although a large number of cellular factors have been identified that stimulate Arp2/3 complex-mediated actin nucleation, only a small number of studies so far have addressed which factors promote actin network debranching. Here, we investigated the function of a conserved homolog of ADF/cofilin, glia maturation factor (GMF). We found that S. cerevisiae GMF (also called Aim7) localizes in vivo to cortical actin patches and displays synthetic genetic interactions with ADF/cofilin. However, GMF lacks detectable actin binding or severing activity and instead binds tightly to Arp2/3 complex. Using in vitro evanescent wave microscopy, we demonstrated that GMF potently stimulates debranching of actin filaments produced by Arp2/3 complex. Further, GMF inhibits nucleation of new daughter filaments. Together, these data suggest that GMF binds Arp2/3 complex to both "prune" daughter filaments at the branch points and inhibit new actin assembly. These activities and its genetic interaction with ADF/cofilin support a role for GMF in promoting the remodeling and/or disassembly of branched networks. Therefore, ADF/cofilin and GMF, members of the same superfamily, appear to have evolved to interact with actin and actin-related proteins, respectively, and to make mechanistically distinct contributions to the remodeling of cortical actin structures.
细胞运动和内吞作用是由 Arp2/3 复合物引发的分支肌动蛋白丝网络的快速聚合和周转提供动力的。尽管已经鉴定出大量刺激 Arp2/3 复合物介导的肌动蛋白核形成的细胞因子,但迄今为止只有少数研究探讨了哪些因子促进肌动蛋白网络去分支。在这里,我们研究了 ADF/cofilin 保守同源物 glia maturation factor (GMF) 的功能。我们发现 S. cerevisiae GMF(也称为 Aim7)在体内定位于皮质肌动蛋白斑,并与 ADF/cofilin 表现出合成的遗传相互作用。然而,GMF 没有检测到肌动蛋白结合或切割活性,而是与 Arp2/3 复合物紧密结合。使用体外消逝波显微镜,我们证明 GMF 能有效地刺激 Arp2/3 复合物产生的肌动蛋白丝的去分支。此外,GMF 抑制新的子丝的成核。总之,这些数据表明 GMF 通过结合 Arp2/3 复合物,既能在分支点修剪子丝,又能抑制新的肌动蛋白组装。这些活性及其与 ADF/cofilin 的遗传相互作用支持 GMF 在促进分支网络的重塑和/或解体中的作用。因此,ADF/cofilin 和 GMF,这两种同一家族的成员,似乎分别进化为与肌动蛋白和肌动蛋白相关蛋白相互作用,并对皮质肌动蛋白结构的重塑做出机制上不同的贡献。