Organizational forms of actin in 13762 ascites mammary tumor cell microvilli.

The organization of microvillus actin and its associated proteins have been investigated in sublines of mammary ascites tumors (MAT) with mobile (MAT-B1) and immobile (MAT-C1) cell surface receptors. Microvilli isolated from these sublines differ in morphology (branched for MAT-C1 versus unbranched for MAT-B1) and the presence of a 58,000-dalton polypeptide (58K). 58K is found associated with MAT-C1 microvilli, microvillar cytoskeletons obtained by nonionic detergent extractions, and microvillar membranes prepared under conditions which depolymerize actin microfilaments. By extraction with actin-stabilizing buffers (isotonic Triton-Mg-ATP) microvillar actin can be fractionated into four forms. About 40% of the actin is sedimented at low speed (7,500g, 15 min). The pellets contain microfilaments; actin and alpha-actinin are the predominant proteins. High-speed pellets from these low-speed supernates contain about 10% of the actin as a transmembrane complex with a cell surface glycoprotein (cytoskeleton-associated glycoprotein, [CAG] 75-80,000 daltons) in MAT-B1 cells or with CAG and 58K in MAT-C1 cells. Transmembrane complexes can be purified from MAT-B1 and MAT-C1 microvillar membranes in Triton-containing buffer by gel filtration or sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The presence of only CAG and actin in the MAT-B1 transmembrane complex strongly suggests the direct interaction of actin and a cell surface component. The high-speed supernates contain soluble actin. By gel filtration or rate-zonal sucrose density gradient centrifugation about 30% of the microvillar actin is found as small oligomers and about 10% as G-actin in this extraction buffer. We suggest that the actin-containing transmembrane complexes may serve as membrane-association sites for oligomeric actin segments and microfilaments and as initiation sites for actin polymerization.