Isolation of mesophilic solvent-producing clostridia from Colombian sources: physiological characterization, solvent production and polysaccharide hydrolysis

One hundred and seventy-eight new butanol-acetone producing bacteria related to saccharolytic clostridia were isolated from agricultural sources in Colombia and their fermentation potential was evaluated. Thirteen isolates produced more total solvents from glucose than Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. The isolates with the highest single solvent production were IBUN 125C and IBUN 18A with 0.46 mol butanol and 0.96 mol ethanol formed from 1 mol glucose, yielding 25. 2 and 29.1 g l(-1) total solvents, respectively, which is close to the maximum values described to date. Most of the new isolates produced exoenzymes for the hydrolysis of starch, carboxymethyl cellulose, xylan, polygalacturonic acid, inulin and chitosan. Together with the high efficiency of solvent production, these hydrolytic isolates may be useful for the direct fermentation of biomass. According to their physiological profile, the most solvent-productive isolates could be classified as strains of C. acetobutylicum, Clostridium beijerinckii, and Clostridium NCP262.

The thermostable alpha-L-rhamnosidase RamA of Clostridium stercorarium: biochemical characterization and primary structure of a bacterial alpha-L-rhamnoside hydrolase, a new type of inverting glycoside hydrolase

An alpha-L-rhamnosidase clone was isolated from a genomic library of the thermophilic anaerobic bacterium Clostridium stercorarium and its primary structure was determined. The recombinant gene product, RamA, was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and characterized. It is a dimer of two identical subunits with a monomeric molecular mass of 95 kDa in SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. At pH 7.5 it is optimally active at 60 degrees C and insensitive to moderate concentrations of Triton X100, ethanol and EDTA. It hydrolysed p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, naringin and hesperidin with a specific activity of 82, 1.5 and 0.46 U mg-1 respectively. Hydrolysis occurs by inversion of the anomeric configuration as detected using 1H-NMR, indicating a single displacement mechanism. Naringin was hydrolysed to rhamnose and prunin, which could further be degraded by incubation with a thermostable beta-glucosidase. The secondary structure of RamA consists of 27% alpha-helices and 50% beta-sheets, as detected by circular dichroism. The primary structure of the ramA gene has no similarity to other glycoside hydrolase sequences and possibly is the first member of a new enzyme family.

Duplicated Clostridium thermocellum cellobiohydrolase gene encoding cellulosomal subunits S3 and S5

The upstream region of the cellobiohydrolase gene cbhA of Clostridium thermocellum F7 was sequenced. It was found that this region contains the previously sequenced gene celK encoding an enzyme closely related to CbhA (cellulosomal subunit S3). The presence of a putative transcription terminator in the 524-bp intergenic region indicates that celK and cbhA are not cotranscribed as an operon. Sequence comparison between the two cellobiohydrolases revealed high sequence conservation in the catalytic domain and in the N-terminal cellulose-binding domain (CBD) homologous to CBD family IV, which binds specifically to amorphous cellulose and soluble cellooligosaccharides. In contrast to CbhA, CelK lacks a family III CBD capable of binding to crystalline cellulose. By partial amino acid sequence determination CelK was shown to be identical to cellulosomal subunit S5. CelK and CbhA were found to be members of subfamily E1 of cellulase family E (glycosylhydrolase family 9). Sequence comparison of catalytic domains of family E1 cellulases with C. thermocellum CelD, a family E1 endoglucanase of known three-dimensional structure, revealed a significant variation in the lengths of substrate-binding loops connecting the helices of the (alpha/alpha)6 barrel fold. The extended loops of CelK and CbhA might form an active-site tunnel, as found in the catalytic domains of fungal cellobiohydrolases.

Organization of the chromosomal region containing the genes lexA and topA in Thermotoga neapolitana. Primary structure of LexA reveals phylogenetic relevance

The chromosomal region of Thermotoga neapolitana surrounding the gene lexA (4283 bp) was sequenced. In addition to the topoisomerase gene top2A it contained five open reading frames. A part of the cloned region showed high sequence homology with a previously published sequence of Th. maritima and indicated an identical arrangement of genes in both microorganisms. Structural analysis of the LexA protein showed significant, but relatively low overall homology with LexA proteins of other bacteria, especially in the DNA binding region. However, key amino acids for processing and secondary structure elements like the helix-turn-helix motif are well conserved. Sequence alignment analysis of the whole protein and the DNA-binding sites of all known LexA sequences uncovers groups of similarity reminding the phylogenetic tree of the Bacteria. A consensus sequence with the SOS- or Cheo-box upstream of the lexA gene of Th. maritima and Th. neapolitana was absent. Together with the phylogenetic distance of the Thermotogales from other bacteria this suggests the presence of a new operator target sequence specific for the Thermotogales, in analogy to the SOS-box for the gamma-group Proteobacteria and the Cheo-box for low- and high-GC Gram-positive bacteria.

Nucleotide sequence of arfB of Clostridium stercorarium, and prediction of catalytic residues of alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases based on local similarity with several families of glycosyl hydrolases

The nucleotide sequence of the alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase gene arfB from Clostridium stercorarium was determined. The deduced protein has a molecular mass of 56.2 kDa with an amino terminus identical to the N-terminal sequence of the purified mature enzyme from C. stercorarium. Its sequence is homologous to arabinofuranosidases of glycosyl hydrolase family 51. Sequence alignment and cluster analysis reveal three new members of glycosyl hydrolase family 51, allowing for the definition of highly conserved regions. Two of these regions are remarkably similar to the most conserved regions within several other families of glycosyl hydrolases, which have in common a (beta/alpha)8-barrel as the core super-secondary structure, and allow to predict the acid/base catalyst and the nucleophile of the active site.

Multidomain structure and cellulosomal localization of the Clostridium thermocellum cellobiohydrolase CbhA

The nucleotide sequence of the Clostridium thermocellum F7 cbhA gene, coding for the cellobiohydrolase CbhA, has been determined. An open reading frame encoding a protein of 1,230 amino acids was identified. Removal of a putative signal peptide yields a mature protein of 1,203 amino acids with a molecular weight of 135,139. Sequence analysis of CbhA reveals a multidomain structure of unusual complexity consisting of an N-terminal cellulose binding domain (CBD) homologous to CBD family IV, an immunoglobulin-like beta-barrel domain, a catalytic domain homologous to cellulase family E1, a duplicated domain similar to fibronectin type III (Fn3) modules, a CBD homologous to family III, a highly acidic linker region, and a C-terminal dockerin domain. The cellulosomal localization of CbhA was confirmed by Western blot analysis employing polyclonal antibodies raised against a truncated enzymatically active version of CbhA. CbhA was identified as cellulosomal subunit S3 by partial amino acid sequence analysis. Comparison of the multidomain structures indicates striking similarities between CbhA and a group of cellulases from actinomycetes. Average linkage cluster analysis suggests a coevolution of the N-terminal CBD and the catalytic domain and its spread by horizontal gene transfer among gram-positive cellulolytic bacteria.

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.

Thermotoga neapolitana bglB gene, upstream of lamA, encodes a highly thermostable beta-glucosidase that is a laminaribiase

The gene for thermostable 1,3-beta-glucosidase BglB was cloned from the chromosome of Thermotoga neapolitana and its primary sequence was determined. The purified recombinant beta-glucosidase B had a monomer molecular mass of 81 kDa in accordance with the amino acid sequence predicted from the nucleotide sequence of clone pTT51. It was a member of glycosylhydrolase family 3 and belonged to enzyme class EC 3.2.1.21. beta-Glucosidase B had a specific activity of 255 U mg-1 on 4-nitrophenyl(PNP)-beta-glucoside at the optima of pH (5.5) and temperature (90 degrees C), and K(m) values of 0.1, 10 and 50 mM for PNP-beta-glucoside, laminaribiose and cellobiose, respectively. The gene bglB was located immediately upstream of the laminarinase gene lamA. Both genes were transcribed from the same DNA strand and were not separated by a palindromic transcription terminator. The two purified enzymes 1,3-beta-glucosidase BglB (laminaribiase) and 1,3-beta-glucanase LamA (laminarinase) were together capable of completely degrading laminarin to glucose.

Highly thermostable endo-1,3-beta-glucanase (laminarinase) LamA from Thermotoga neapolitana: nucleotide sequence of the gene and characterization of the recombinant gene product

The nucleotide sequence of clone pTT26 (3786 bp), containing the gene for 1,3-beta-glucanase LamA (laminarinase) from Thermotoga neapolitana, was determined. It contains an ORF encoding a protein of 646 aa (73328 Da). The central part of the protein is homologous to the complete catalytic domain of bacterial and some eukaryotic endo-1,3-beta-D-glucanases and belongs to family 16 of glycosyl hydrolases. This domain is flanked on both sides by one copy on each side of a substrate binding domain homologue (family II). The recombinant laminarinase protein was purified from Escherichia coli host cells in two forms, a 73 kDa and a processed 52 kDa protein, both having high specific activity towards laminarin (3100 and 2600 U mg-1, respectively) and K(m) values of 2.8 and 2.2 mg ml-1, respectively. Limited activity on 1,3-1,4-beta-glucan (lichenan) was detected (90 U mg-1). Laminarin was degraded in an endoglucanase modus, yielding glucose, laminaribiose and -triose as end products. Thus LamA classifies as an endo-1,3(4)-beta-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.6). The optimum temperature of the enzymes was 95 degrees C (73 kDa) and 85 degrees C (52 kDa) at an optimum pH of 6.2. The superior thermostability of the 73 kDa enzyme is demonstrated by incubation without substrate at 100 degrees C, where 57% of the initial activity remained after 30 min (82% at 95 degrees C). Thus, LamA is the most thermostable 1,3-beta-glucanase described to date.

Structure of the Clostridium stercorarium gene celY encoding the exo-1,4-beta-glucanase Avicelase II

The nucleotide sequence of the celY gene coding for the thermostable exo-1,4-beta-glucanase Avicelase II of Clostridium stercorarium was determined. The gene consists of an ORF of 274Z bp which encodes a preprotein of 914 amino acids with a molecular mass of 103 kDa. The signal-peptide cleavage site was identified by comparison with the N-terminal amino acid sequence of Avicelase II purified from C stercorarium. The celY gene is located in close vicinity to the celZ gene coding for the endo-1,4-beta-glucanase Avicelase I. The CelY-encoding sequence was isolated from genomic DNA of C. stercorarium with the PCR technique. The recombinant enzyme produced in Escherichia coli as a LacZ'-CelY fusion protein could be purified using a simple two-step procedure. The properties of CelY proved to be consistent with those of Avicelase II purified from C. stercorarium. Sequence comparison revealed that CelY consists of an N-terminal catalytic domain flanked by a domain of 95 amino acids with unknown function joined to a type III cellulose-binding domain. The catalytic domain belongs to the recently proposed family L of cellulases (family 48 of glycosyl hydrolases).

Debranching of arabinoxylan: properties of the thermoactive recombinant alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from Clostridium stercorarium (ArfB)

The gene arfB encoding alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase B of the cellulolytic thermophile Clostridium stercorarium was expressed in Escherichia coli from a 2.2-kb EcoRI DNA fragment. The recombinant gene product ArfB was purified by fast-performance liquid chromatography. It has a tetrameric structure with a monomeric relative molecular mass of 5200. The optima for temperature and pH are 70 degrees C and 5.0 respectively. The enzyme appears to have no metal cofactor requirement and is sensitive to sulfhydryl reagents. It hydrolyzes aryl and alkyl alpha-L-arabinofuranosides and cleaves arabinosyl side-chains from arabinoxylan (oat-spelt xylan) and from xylooligosaccharides produced by recombinant endoxylanase XynA from the same organism. The identify of the N-terminal amino acid sequences indicates that ArfB corresponds to the major alpha-arabinosidase activity present in the culture supernatant of C. stercorarium.

Cross-linker dynamics determine the mechanical properties of actin gels

To evaluate the contributions of cross-linker dynamics and polymer deformation to the frequency-dependent stiffness of actin filament gels, we compared the rheological properties of actin gels with three types of cross-linkers: a weak one, Acanthamoeba alpha-actinin (dissociation rate constant 5.2 s-1, association rate constant 1.1 x 10(6) M-1 s-1); a strong one, chicken smooth muscle alpha-actinin (dissociation rate constant 0.66 s-1, association rate constant 1.20 x 10(6) M-1 s-1); and an extremely strong one, biotin/avidin (dissociation rate constant approximately zero). The biotin/avidin cross-linked gel, whose behavior is determined by polymer bending alone, behaves like a solid and shows no frequency dependence. The amoeba alpha-actinin cross-linked gel behaves like a viscoelastic fluid, and the frequency dependence of the stiffness can be explained by a mathematical model for dynamically cross-linked gels. The stiffness of the chicken alpha-actinin cross-linked gel is independent of frequency, and has viscoelastic properties intermediate between the two. The two alpha-actinins have similar association rate constants for binding to actin filaments, consistent with a diffusion-limited reaction. Rigid cross-links make the gel stiff, but make it elastic without the ability to deform permanently. Dynamically cross-linked actin filaments should allow the cell to react passively to various outside forces without any sort of signaling. Slower, signal-mediated pathways, such as severing filaments or changing the affinity of cross-linkers, could alter the nature of these passive reactions.

Nucleotide exchange, structure, and mechanical properties of filaments assembled from ATP-actin and ADP-actin

Actin monomers with bound ATP, ADP, or fluorescent analogues of these nucleotides exchange the nucleotide on a second time scale, whereas filaments assembled from each of these species exchange their nucleotide with the solution at least 1,000 times slower than monomers. Filaments assembled from either ATP-actin or ADP-actin are indistinguishable by electron microscopy after negative staining. The dynamic elasticity and viscosity of filaments assembled from ATP-actin or ADP-actin or mixtures of these two species are the same over a wide range of frequencies. These observations do not support a recent suggestion (Janmey, P. A., Hvidt, S., Oster, G. F., Lamb, J., Stossel, T. P., and Hartwig, J. H. (1990) Nature 347, 95-99) that ATP hydrolysis within actin filaments stiffens the polymer and alters both their structure and affinity for nucleotides. The difference in observations between these two studies may be related to time-dependent changes in ADP-actin prepared in slightly different ways.

Structure of the Clostridium thermocellum gene licB and the encoded beta-1,3-1,4-glucanase. A catalytic region homologous to Bacillus lichenases joined to the reiterated domain of clostridial cellulases

The nucleotide sequence of the Clostridium thermocellum gene licB, coding for a thermoactive beta-1,3-1,4-glucanase, has been determined. The gene is located downstream, but in opposite orientation to the beta-glucosidase gene bglA. A coding region of 1002 bp is flanked by canonical promoter and transcription terminator sequences. The primary translation product of the licB gene has a predicted molecular mass of 37,896 Da. The protein sequence can be divided into several discrete segments: an N-terminal signal peptide, a catalytic region, a segment rich in Pro and Thr residues and a C-terminal reiterated domain. The catalytic region shows close similarity to lichenases of bacilli (52-58% identity) and Fibrobacter succinogenes (35% identity), but is unrelated to barley beta-1,3-1,4-glucanases. It consists of two domains, which in the case of the F. succinogenes lichenase are arranged in reversed order to that of C. thermocellum and Bacillus lichenases. The C-terminal reiterated domain of C. thermocellum lichenase is homologous to the duplicated non-catalytic domain of endo-beta-1,4-glucanases and xylanase Z from the same organism. This domain is considered a characteristic feature of clostridial cellulases organized as multienzyme complex (cellulosome). The beta-1,3-1,4-glucanase encoded by the licB gene might therefore be an additional enzyme component of the C. thermocellum cellulosome.

The actin filament severing protein actophorin promotes the formation of rigid bundles of actin filaments crosslinked with alpha-actinin

The actin filament severing protein, Acanthamoeba actophorin, decreases the viscosity of actin filaments, but increases the stiffness and viscosity of mixtures of actin filaments and the crosslinking protein alpha-actinin. The explanation of this paradox is that in the presence of both the severing protein and crosslinker the actin filaments aggregate into an interlocking meshwork of bundles large enough to be visualized by light microscopy. The size of these bundles depends on the size of the containing vessel. The actin filaments in these bundles are tightly packed in some areas while in others they are more disperse. The bundles form a continuous reticulum that fills the container, since the filaments from a particular bundle may interdigitate with filaments from other bundles at points where they intersect. The same phenomena are seen when rabbit muscle aldolase rather than alpha-actinin is used as the crosslinker. We propose that actophorin promotes bundling by shortening the actin filaments enough to allow them to rotate into positions favorable for lateral interactions with each other via alpha-actinin. The network of bundles is more rigid and less thixotropic than the corresponding network of single actin filaments linked by alpha-actinin. One explanation may be that alpha-actinin (or aldolase) normally in rapid equilibria with actin filaments may become trapped between the filaments increasing the effective concentration of the crosslinker.

Properties of a thermoactive beta-1,3-1,4-glucanase (lichenase) from Clostridium thermocellum expressed in Escherichia coli

A Clostridium thermocellum gene (licB) encoding a thermoactive 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanase (lichenase) with a molecular weight of about 35,000 was localized on a 1.5-kb DNA fragment by cloning and expression in E. coli. The enzyme acts on beta-glucans with alternating beta-1,3- and beta-1,4-linkages such as barley beta-glucan and lichenan, but not on beta-glucans containing only 1,3- or 1,4-glucosidic bonds. It is active over a broad pH range (pH 5-12) and has a temperature optimum around 80 degrees C. The C. thermocellum lichenase is unusually resistant against inactivation by heat, ethanol or ionic detergents. These properties make the enzyme highly suitable for industrial application in the mashing process of beer brewing.

Sequence analysis of the Clostridium stercorarium celZ gene encoding a thermoactive cellulase (Avicelase I): identification of catalytic and cellulose-binding domains

The nucleotide sequence of the celZ gene coding for a thermostable endo-beta-1,4-glucanase (Avicelase I) of Clostridium stercorarium was determined. The structural gene consists of an open reading frame of 2958 bp which encodes a preprotein of 986 amino acids with an Mr of 109,000. The signal peptide cleavage site was identified by comparison with the N-terminal amino acid sequence of Avicelase I purified from C. stercorarium culture supernatants. The recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli is proteolytically cleaved into catalytic and cellulose-binding fragments of about 50 kDa each. Sequence comparison revealed that the N-terminal half of Avicelase I is closely related to avocado (Persea americana) cellulase. Homology is also observed with Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanase D and Pseudomonas fluorescens cellulase. The cellulose-binding region was located in the C-terminal half of Avicelase I. It consists of a reiterated domain of 88 amino acids flanked by a repeated sequence about 140 amino acids in length. The C-terminal flanking sequence is highly homologous to the non-catalytic domain of Bacillus subtilis endoglucanase and Caldocellum saccharolyticum endoglucanase B. It is proposed that the enhanced cellulolytic activity of Avicelase I is due to the presence of multiple cellulose-binding sites.

Xylan degradation by the thermophile Clostridium stercorarium: cloning and expression of xylanase, beta-D-xylosidase, and alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase genes in Escherichia coli

Seven genes related to arabinoxylan degradation were isolated from a genomic library of the thermophilic bacterium Clostridium stercorarium. The cloned genes include a xylanase gene (xynA), two beta-D-xylosidase genes (bx1A and bx1B), two alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase genes (arfA and arfB), and two genes (celW and celX) encoding enzymes termed celloxylanases, which hydrolyze both xylans and beta-D-cellobiosides. The genes xynA, celX, and bxlB were found to encode the major xylanolytic enzyme activities induced by growth of C. stercorarium on xylan.

Nucleotide sequence of the celC gene encoding endoglucanase C of Clostridium thermocellum

The nucleotide sequence of the cellulase gene celC, encoding endoglucanase C of Clostridium thermocellum, has been determined. The coding region of 1032 bp was identified by comparison with the N-terminal amino acid (aa) sequence of endoglucanase C purified from Escherichia coli. The ATG start codon is preceded by an AGGAGG sequence typical of ribosome-binding sites in Gram-positive bacteria. The derived amino acid sequence corresponds to a protein of Mr 40,439. Amino acid analysis and apparent Mr of endoglucanase C are consistent with the amino acid sequence as derived from the DNA sequencing data. A proposed N-terminal 21-aa residue leader (signal) sequence differs from other prokaryotic signal peptides and is non-functional in E. coli. Most of the protein bears no resemblance to the endoglucanases A, B, and D of the same organism. However, a short region of homology between endoglucanases A and C was identified, which is similar to the established active sites of lysozymes and to related sequences of fungal cellulases.

Activity staining of cellulases in polyacrylamide gels containing mixed linkage beta-glucans

Endoglucanase and cellobiohydrolase components of thermophilic cellulases can be detected in situ after gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate by incorporating a mixed linkage beta-glucan (barley beta-glucan, lichenan) in the separation gel. Zymograms are prepared after a renaturation treatment and incubation by staining the gel with Congo red. This method is suitable for the detection of beta-glucanases with different substrate specificities cleaving beta-1,4-, beta-1,4-1,3-, or beta-1,3-glucans. Cellobiohydrolase activities can be detected by adding 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-cellobioside to the incubation buffer. The gels are subsequently stained with Coomassie blue to establish identical molecular weights of beta-glucanase and protein bands. Applications of this technique for the comparison of cellulases and for the identification of cellulase components expressed from recombinant clones are presented.

Dependence of the mechanical properties of actin/alpha-actinin gels on deformation rate

The cortical cytoplasm, including the cleavage furrow, is largely composed of a network of actin filaments that is rigid even as it is extensively deformed during cytokinesis. Here we address the question of how actin-filament networks such as those in the cortex can be simultaneously rigid (solid-like) and fluid-like. Conventional explanations are that actin filaments rearrange by some combination of depolymerization and repolymerization; fragmentation and annealing of filaments; and inactivation and reestablishment of crosslinks between filaments. We describe the mechanical properties of a model system consisting of actin filaments and Acanthamoeba alpha-actinin, one of several actin crosslinking proteins found in amoeba and other cells. The results suggest another molecular mechanism that may account for the paradoxical mechanical properties of the cortex. When deformed rapidly, these mixtures are 40 times more rigid than actin filaments without alpha-actinin, but when deformed slowly these mixtures were indistinguishable from filaments alone. These time-dependent mechanical properties can be explained by multiple, rapidly rearranging alpha-actinin crosslinks between the actin filaments, a mechanism proposed by Frey-Wyssling to account for the behaviour of cytoplasm long before the discovery of cytoplasmic actin or alpha-actinin. If other actin-filament crosslinking proteins behave like Acanthamoeba alpha-actinin, this mechanism may explain how the cortex recoils elastically from small rapid insults but deforms extensively when minute forces are applied over long periods of time.

The rheology of saliva

The rheology of saliva affects the coating and lubrication of oral surfaces and the consistency of ingested foods. Salivary gland dysfunction can cause tissue damage and dysphagia. Therefore, we have considered the problem of designing a synthetic saliva for medical management. Also, we have measured certain rheological properties /shear-dependent viscosity eta (kappa)/ and the frequency-dependent moduli /G'(f) and eta'(f)/ of normal stimulated whole saliva. Analysis of the rheological data and consideration of requirements for using artificial saliva have resulted in a better understanding of the rheological functions of natural saliva and the desirable characteristics of synthetic saliva. In addition, we have measured rheological properties of two commercial saliva substitutes for comparison.

Acanthamoeba profilin affects the mechanical properties of nonfilamentous actin

We investigated the mechanical properties of two abundant, cytoplasmic proteins from Acanthamoeba, profilin and actin, and found that while both profilin and nonfilamentous actin alone behaved as solids, mixtures of the two proteins were viscoelastic liquids. When allowed to equilibrate, profilin formed a viscoelastic solid with mechanical properties similar to filamentous and nonfilamentous actin. Consequently, profilin itself may contribute significantly to the elasticity and viscosity of cytoplasm. The addition of profilin to nonfilamentous actin caused a phase transition from gel (viscoelastic solid) to sol (viscoelastic liquid) when the concentration of free actin became too low to form a gel. In contrast, profilin had little effect on the rigidity and viscosity of actin filaments. We speculate that nonfilamentous actin and profilin, both of which form shear-sensitive structures, can be modeled as flocculant materials. We conclude that profilin may regulate the rigidity (elasticity) of the cytoplasm not only by inhibiting polymerization of actin, but also by modulating the mechanical properties of nonfilamentous actin.

Mechanical properties of actin

We used a cone and plate rheometer to evaluate the mechanical properties of actin over a wide range of oscillation frequencies and shear rates. Remarkably, both filamentous and nonfilamentous actin behaved as viscoelastic solids in both oscillatory and shear type experiments, providing that they were given ample time to equilibrate. Actin was purified by gel filtration from rabbit skeletal muscle and Acanthamoeba. Nonfilamentous actin in 2 different buffers had similar properties. In a low ionic strength buffer the absence of filaments was confirmed by electron microscopy, ultracentrifugation, and the fluorescence of pyrene-labeled actin. In 0.6 M KI, actin was monomeric by gel filtration. Filamentous actin had similar properties in 2 mM MgCl2 with either 50 mM KC1 or 500 mM KC1. Under all 4 of these conditions, actin required about 1000 min at 25 degrees C for the rheological properties to equilibrate. Under conditions where the oscillation of the rheometer did not affect the mechanical properties, all of the actin preparations had dynamic viscosities that were inverse functions of the frequency and dynamic elasticites that leveled off at low frequencies as expected for viscoelastic solids. For filamentous actin, the values of these parameters were about 2 times higher than for nonfilamentous actin. In shear experiments, both filamentous and nonfilamentous actin exhibited shear rate-dependent yield stresses. When filamentous and nonfilamentous actin structures were disrupted by transient shearing, the dynamic elasticity recovered to 90% in 30 min. Ovalbumin in the low ionic strength buffer also behaved as a viscoelastic material with elasticity and viscosity about 10 times lower than nonfilamentous actin, while cytochrome c behaved as a Newtonian fluid with a viscosity of 0.02 poise.