Actin-bound nucleotide/divalent cation interactions

ATP and ADP actin states

This minireview is dedicated to the memory of Henryk Eisenberg and honors his major contributions to many areas of biophysics and to the analysis of macromolecular states and interactions in particular. This work reviews the ATP and ADP states of a ubiquitous protein, actins, and considers the present evidence for and against unique, nucleotide-dependent conformations of this protein. The effects of ATP and ADP on specific structural elements of actins, its loops and clefts, as revealed by mutational, crosslinking, spectroscopic, and EPR methods are discussed. It is concluded that the existing evidence points to dynamic equilibria of these structural elements among various conformational states in both ATP- and ADP-actins, with the nucleotides impacting the equilibria distributions.

Differential regulation of actin polymerization and structure by yeast formin isoforms

The budding yeast formins, Bnr1 and Bni1, behave very differently with respect to their interactions with muscle actin. However, the mechanisms underlying these differences are unclear, and these formins do not interact with muscle actin in vivo. We use yeast wild type and mutant actins to further assess these differences between Bnr1 and Bni1. Low ionic strength G-buffer does not promote actin polymerization. However, Bnr1, but not Bni1, causes the polymerization of pyrene-labeled Mg-G-actin in G-buffer into single filaments based on fluorometric and EM observations. Polymerization by Bnr1 does not occur with Ca-G-actin. By cosedimentation, maximum filament formation occurs at a Bnr1:actin ratio of 1:2. The interaction of Bnr1 with pyrene-labeled S265C Mg-actin yields a pyrene excimer peak, from the cross-strand interaction of pyrene probes, which only occurs in the context of F-actin. In F-buffer, Bnr1 promotes much faster yeast actin polymerization than Bni1. It also bundles the F-actin in contrast to the low ionic strength situation where only single filaments form. Thus, the differences previously observed with muscle actin are not actin isoform-specific. The binding of both formins to F-actin saturate at an equimolar ratio, but only about 30% of each formin cosediments with F-actin. Finally, addition of Bnr1 but not Bni1 to pyrene-labeled wild type and S265C Mg-F actins enhanced the pyrene- and pyrene-excimer fluorescence, respectively, suggesting Bnr1 also alters F-actin structure. These differences may facilitate the ability of Bnr1 to form the actin cables needed for polarized delivery of nutrients and organelles to the growing yeast bud.

Assessment of cellular actin dynamics by measurement of fluorescence anisotropy

To study cellular actin dynamics, a cell-free assay based on fluorescence anisotropy was developed. Using G-actin-Alexa as a probe, we found that anisotropy enhancement reflects F-actin elongation. Anisotropy enhancement varies with the concentration of magnesium and calcium cations and with ethylenediaminetetraacetate or well-known effectors of the polymerization. This assay gives the overall status of actin dynamics in cell extracts which are the closest conditions to in vivo, implying most of the regulating proteins that are missing in purified actin measurements. It can be used in a large-scale screening for chemical compounds which modulate actin polymerization.

Solution properties of tetramethylrhodamine-modified G-actin

In the recently solved structure of TMR-modified ADP-G-actin, the nucleotide cleft is in a closed state conformation, and the D-loop contains an alpha-helix (L. R. Otterbein, P. Graceffa, and R. Dominguez, 2001, Science, 293:708-711). Subsequently, questions were raised regarding the possible role of the TMR label on Cys(374) in determining these aspects of G-actin structure. We show here that the susceptibility of D-loop on G-actin to subtilisin cleavage, and ATP/ADP-dependent changes in this cleavage, are not affected by TMR-labeling of actin. The TMR modification inhibits nucleotide exchange, but has no effect on DNase I binding and the fast phase of tryptic digestion of actin. These results show an absence of allosteric effects of TMR on subdomain 2, while confirming ATP/ADP-dependent changes in D-loop structure. In conjunction with similar results obtained on actin-gelsolin segment 1 complex, this works reveals the limitations of solution methods in probing the putative open and closed nucleotide cleft states of G-actin.

Damage to F-actin and cell death induced by chromium VI and nickel in primary monolayer cultures of rat hepatocytes

The toxicity of hexavalent chromium and nickel was investigated using primary cultures of hepatocytes as an in vitro system. Cr VI and Ni are widely used in the steel and orthopaedic implant industry. Although their toxicity has been extensively investigated, the mechanism(s) of action is/are not fully understood. Monolayer cultures of hepatocytes (10(5) cells/cm2) were exposed to various concentrations of Cr VI and Ni for 24 h. Cells were stained with phalloidin-FITC for the detection of the cytoskeletal component, F-actin, and Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide for the detection of the mode of cell death. Exposure of cells to Cr VI (1, 5, 10 and 50 microM) resulted in the loss of the cell cytoskeleton, and this was accompanied by membrane blebbing and shrinking of the cell. Ni, on the other hand, induced detectable damage to the cytoskeleton only at 500 microM. Staining of the cells with Annexin V and propidium iodide showed that Cr VI induces apoptosis at low concentrations (5 microM), and necrosis at higher concentrations (25 and 50 microM). Ni almost exclusively induced necrosis at 500 microM with very few cells undergoing apoptosis. Below this concentration it had no discernable effect on hepatocytes. Damage to the cell cytoskeleton caused by Cr VI may be an early indication of apoptosis in hepatocytes.

Water in actin polymerization

We have addressed the question whether water is part of the G- to F-actin polymerization reaction. Under osmotic stress, the critical concentration for G-Ca-ATP actin was reduced for six different osmolytes. These results are interpreted as showing that reducing water activity favored the polymerized state. The magnitude of the effect correlated, then saturated, with increasing MW of the osmolyte and suggested that up to 10-12 fewer water molecules were associated with actin when it polymerized. By contrast, osmotic effects were insignificant for Mg-ATP actin. The nucleotide binding site of the Mg conformation is more closed than the Ca and more closely resembles the closed actin conformation in the polymerized state. These results suggest that the water may come from the cleft of the nucleotide binding site.

Mechanical properties of actin filament networks depend on preparation, polymerization conditions, and storage of actin monomers

This study investigates possible sources for the variance of more than two orders of magnitude in the published values for the shear moduli of purified actin filaments. Two types of forced oscillatory rheometers used in some of our previous work agree within a factor of three for identical samples. Polymers assembled in EGTA and Mg2+ from fresh, gel-filtered ATP-actin at 1 mg/ml typically have an elastic storage modulus (G') of approximately 1 Pa at a deformation frequency of 0.1-1 Hz. G' is slightly higher when actin is polymerized in KCl with Ca2+ and Mg2+. Gel filtration removes minor contaminants from actin but has little effect on G' for most preparations of actin from acetone powder. Storage of actin monomers without frequent changes of buffer containing fresh ATP and dithiothreitol can result in changes that increase the G' of filaments by more than a factor of 10. Frozen storage can preserve the properties of monomeric actin, but care is necessary to prevent protein denaturation or aggregation due to freezing or thawing.

Modulation of yeast F-actin structure by a mutation in the nucleotide-binding cleft

Although the actin sequence is very highly conserved across evolution, tissue-specific expression of different isoforms in high eukaryotes suggests that different isoforms carry out different functions. However, little information exists about either the differences in filaments made from different actins or the effects on filament structure caused by the various mutations in actin that have been introduced to gain insight into actin function. Using electron microscopy and three-dimensional reconstruction, we have studied the differences in the filaments made by yeast and rabbit skeletal muscle actin, two proteins with 88% homologous sequences, and we have assessed the changes in filament structure caused by the introduction of the S14A mutation into yeast actin. Elimination of the S14 hydroxyl group, assumed to bind to the gamma-phosphate of actin-bound ATP, results in a 40 to 60-fold decrease in actin's affinity for ATP. We show that yeast actin displays less extensive contacts between the two long-pitch helical strands than does muscle actin, and displays the large cooperativity within filaments previously observed for muscle actin. Finally, we demonstrate that the S14A mutation narrows the cleft between the two lobes of the actin subunit and strengthens the inter-strand connections in F-actin.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of phalloidin binding to actin filaments from three divergent species

We compared the kinetics and thermodynamics of rhodamine phalloidin binding to actin purified from rabbit skeletal muscle, Acanthamoeba castellanii, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in 50 mM KCl, 1 mM MgCl2, and pH 7.0 buffer at 22 degrees C. Filaments of S. cerevisiae actin bind rhodamine phalloidin more weakly than Acanthamoeba and rabbit skeletal muscle actin filaments due to a more rapid dissociation rate in spite of a significantly faster association rate constant. The higher dissociation rate constant and lower binding affinity of rhodamine phalloidin for S. cerevisiae actin filaments provide a quantitative explanation for the inefficient staining of yeast actin filaments, compared with that of rabbit skeletal muscle actin filaments [Kron et al. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 4466-4470]. The temperature dependence of the rate constants was interpreted according to transition state theory. There is a small enthalpic difference (delta H++) between the ground states and the transition state. Consequently, the free energy of activation (delta G++) for association and dissociation of rhodamine phalloidin is dominated by entropic changes (delta S++). At equilibrium, rhodamine phalloidin binding generates a positive entropy change (delta S0). The rates of rhodamine phalloidin binding are independent of the pH, ionic strength, and filament length. Rhodamine covalently bound decreases the association rate and affinity of phalloidin for actin. The association rate constant is low for both phalloidin and rhodamine phalloidin because the filaments must undergo conformational changes (i.e. "breathe") to expose the phalloidin binding site [De La Cruz, E. M., & Pollard, T. D. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 14387-14392]. Raising the solvent microviscosity, but not the macroviscosity, dampens these conformational fluctuations, and phalloidin binding kinetics are inhibited. Yeast actin filaments bind rhodamine phalloidin more rapidly, suggesting that perhaps they are more flexible and can breathe more easily than rabbit or Acanthamoeba actin filaments.

Ca2+ bound to the high affinity divalent cation-binding site of actin enhances actophorin-induced depolymerization of muscle F-actin but inhibits actophorin-induced depolymerization of Acanthamoeba F-actin

The cation tightly bound to actin, Mg2+ or Ca2+, affects the ability of actophorin to accelerate depolymerization of filaments and bind to monomers of actin prepared from rabbit skeletal muscle and Acanthamoeba castellanii. Actophorin interacted similarly with muscle and Acanthamoeba Mg2(+)-F-actin but depolymerized muscle Mg2(+)-F-actin more efficiently. Muscle Ca2(+)-F-actin depolymerized about 5 times more rapidly than Mg2(+)-F-actin in the presence of actophorin but Acanthamoeba Ca2(+)-F-actin was highly resistant to actophorin. Muscle actin subunits dissociated more rapidly than Acanthamoeba actin subunits from copolymers of muscle and Acanthamoeba Ca2(+)-actin upon addition of actophorin although Acanthamoeba actin dissociated much more rapidly from copolymers than from its homopolymer. The Kd of the 1:1 complex between actophorin and monomeric actin was somewhat lower for muscle Mg2(+)-ATP-G-actin than for both Acanthamoeba Mg2(+)-ATP-G-actin and muscle Ca2(+)-ATP-G-actin. The data for the interactions of actophorin with Acanthamoeba Ca2(+)-ATP-G-actin or muscle and amoeba Mg2(+)- and Ca2(+)-ADP-G-actin were incompatible with the formation of 1:1 actin: actophorin complexes and, thus, Kd values could not be calculated. While it may not be surprising that actophorin would interact differently with Mg2(+)- and Ca2(+)-actin, it is unexpected that the nature of the tightly bound cation would have such dramatically opposite effects on the ability of actophorin to depolymerize muscle and Acanthamoeba F-actin. Differential severing by actophorin, with Acanthamoeba Ca2(+)-actin being almost totally resistant, is sufficient to explain the results but other possibilities cannot be ruled out.

New insights into actin filament dynamics

Great progress has been made in advancing an atomic-level model for F-actin. A growing body of data shows, however, that any picture of F-actin must take into account allosteric interactions within subunits, long-range cooperative effects that occur between subunits, and the fact that several conformations of the filament can exist.