VASP is a processive actin polymerase that requires monomeric actin for barbed end association

Capping Protein (CP) plays a central role in the creation of the Arp2/ 3-generated branched actin networks comprising lamellipodia and pseudopodia by virtue of its ability to cap the actin filament barbed end, which promotes Arp2/3-dependent filament nucleation and optimal branching. The highly conserved protein V-1/Myotrophin binds CP tightly in vitro to render it incapable of binding the barbed end. Here we addressed the physiological significance of this CP antagonist in Dictyostelium, which expresses a V-1 homolog that we show is very similar biochemically to mouse V-1. Consistent with previous studies of CP knockdown, overexpression of V-1 in Dictyostelium reduced the size of pseudopodia and the cortical content of Arp2/3 and induced the formation of filopodia. Importantly, these effects scaled positively with the degree of V-1 overexpression and were not seen with a V-1 mutant that cannot bind CP. V-1 is present in molar excess over CP, suggesting that it suppresses CP activity in the cytoplasm at steady state. Consistently, cells devoid of V-1, like cells overexpressing CP described previously, exhibited a significant decrease in cellular F-actin content. Moreover, V-1-null cells exhibited pronounced defects in macropinocytosis and chemotactic aggregation that were rescued by V-1, but not by the V-1 mutant. Together, these observations demonstrate that V-1 exerts significant influence in vivo on major actin-based processes via its ability to sequester CP. Finally, we present evidence that V-1's ability to sequester CP is regulated by phosphorylation, suggesting that cells may manipulate the level of active CP to tune their "actin phenotype."T he addition of Capping Protein (CP) to seed-initiated actin polymerization assays results in the rapid cessation of polymerization because CP binds with very high affinity to the fastgrowing barbed end of the actin filament to block further monomer addition (1). Direct extrapolation of this simple, potent biochemical property would suggest that the cell's content of F-actin should rise and fall as its content of CP is artificially forced to fall and rise, respectively. Indeed, this finding was reported many years ago in Dictyostelium amoeba (2). This simple view of CP's role in regulating actin assembly in vivo falls short of the whole story, however. The additional complexity arises from the critical relationship between CP and the Arp2/3 complex, the major actin nucleating machine that generates the branched actin networks comprising lamellipodia and pseudopodia (3). At the heart of this relationship is the fact that CP increases the rate of Arp2/3-dependent filament nucleation and promotes optimal branching by rapidly capping filaments (4). As a result, CP promotes actin-related proteins 2 and 3 (Arp2/3)-driven actin assembly and motility (4, 5). This effect was evident from early solution experiments focused on defining the function of the Arp2/3 complex (6), verified by in vitro reconstitution of the Arp2/3-dependent motility of Listeria (5), and explained mecha...

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

V-1 regulates capping protein activity in vivo

Jung

Alexander

et al. 2016

“…The single-molecule fluorescence colocalization techniques used here are powerful tools for directly observing binding and deciphering complex reaction mechanisms (32)(33)(34)(35)(36). These techniques allowed us to directly measure key features of Arp2/3 complexmediated branch formation, including Arp2/3 binding and dissociation rates, branch formation efficiency, and activation time, and to determine how these parameters are affected by VCA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathway of actin filament branch formation by Arp2/3 complex revealed by single-molecule imaging

Smith

Daugherty-Clarke

Goode

et al. 2013

101

137

Actin filament nucleation by actin-related protein (Arp) 2/3 complex is a critical process in cell motility and endocytosis, yet key aspects of its mechanism are unknown due to a lack of real-time observations of Arp2/3 complex through the nucleation process. Triggered by the verprolin homology, central, and acidic (VCA) region of proteins in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) family, Arp2/3 complex produces new (daughter) filaments as branches from the sides of preexisting (mother) filaments. We visualized individual fluorescently labeled Arp2/3 complexes dynamically interacting with and producing branches on growing actin filaments in vitro. Branch formation was strikingly inefficient, even in the presence of VCA: only ∼1% of filament-bound Arp2/3 complexes yielded a daughter filament. VCA acted at multiple steps, increasing both the association rate of Arp2/3 complexes with mother filament and the fraction of filament-bound complexes that nucleated a daughter. The results lead to a quantitative kinetic mechanism for branched actin assembly, revealing the steps that can be stimulated by additional cellular factors.

“…However, contrary to formins, they deliver actin monomers directly to filament barbed ends by virtue of their GAB domains (6,9,19,20). Moreover, PFN appears dispensable for VASP-mediated filament elongation in vitro (6,20), albeit some studies have reported increased filament elongation rates in the presence of PFN (19,21). Finally, because single Ena/VASP tetramers are not as processive as formins, they consequently only poorly protect barbed end growth from capping protein (CP) in solution (6,19,20).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Comparable to formins, Ena/VASP proteins associate with growing barbed ends and accelerate filament elongation twofold to sevenfold (6,9,19,20). However, contrary to formins, they deliver actin monomers directly to filament barbed ends by virtue of their GAB domains (6,9,19,20).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinct VASP tetramers synergize in the processive elongation of individual actin filaments from clustered arrays

Brühmann

Ushakov

Winterhoff

et al. 2017

Ena/VASP proteins act as actin polymerases that drive the processive elongation of filament barbed ends in membrane protrusions or at the surface of bacterial pathogens. Based on previous analyses of fast and slow elongating VASP proteins by in vitro total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) and kinetic and thermodynamic measurements, we established a kinetic model of Ena/VASP-mediated actin filament elongation. At steady state, it entails that tetrameric VASP uses one of its arms to processively track growing filament barbed ends while three G-actin-binding sites (GABs) on other arms are available to recruit and deliver monomers to the filament tip, suggesting that VASP operates as a single tetramer in solution or when clustered on a surface, albeit processivity and resistance toward capping protein (CP) differ dramatically between both conditions. Here, we tested the model by variation of the oligomerization state and by increase of the number of GABs on individual polypeptide chains. In excellent agreement with model predictions, we show that in solution the rates of filament elongation directly correlate with the number of free GABs. Strikingly, however, irrespective of the oligomerization state or presence of additional GABs, filament elongation on a surface invariably proceeded with the same rate as with the VASP tetramer, demonstrating that adjacent VASP molecules synergize in the elongation of a single filament. Additionally, we reveal that actin ATP hydrolysis is not required for VASP-mediated filament assembly. Finally, we show evidence for the requirement of VASP to form tetramers and provide an amended model of processive VASPmediated actin assembly in clustered arrays.actin | Ena/VASP | TIRF | cluster | formin