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Ventura Santos C, Rogers SL, Carter AP. CryoET shows cofilactin filaments inside the microtubule lumen. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e57264. [PMID: 37702953 PMCID: PMC10626427 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202357264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic microtubules are tubular polymers that can harbor small proteins or filaments inside their lumen. The identities of these objects and mechanisms for their accumulation have not been conclusively established. Here, we used cryogenic electron tomography of Drosophila S2 cell protrusions and found filaments inside the microtubule lumen, which resemble those reported recently in human HAP1 cells. The frequency of these filaments increased upon inhibition of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase with the small molecule drug thapsigargin. Subtomogram averaging showed that the luminal filaments adopt a helical structure reminiscent of cofilin-bound actin (cofilactin). Consistent with this, we observed cofilin dephosphorylation, an activating modification, in cells under the same conditions that increased luminal filament occurrence. Furthermore, RNA interference knock-down of cofilin reduced the frequency of luminal filaments with cofilactin morphology. These results suggest that cofilin activation stimulates its accumulation on actin filaments inside the microtubule lumen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephen L Rogers
- Department of Biology and Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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2
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Santos CV, Rogers SL, Carter AP. CryoET shows cofilactin filaments inside the microtubule lumen. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.31.535077. [PMID: 37034688 PMCID: PMC10081314 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.31.535077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Cytoplasmic microtubules are tubular polymers that can harbor small proteins or filaments inside their lumen. The identity of these objects and what causes their accumulation has not been conclusively established. Here, we used cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET) of Drosophila S2 cell protrusions and found filaments inside the microtubule lumen, which resemble those reported recently in human HAP1 cells. The frequency of these filaments increased upon inhibition of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ ATPase (SERCA) with the small-molecule drug thapsigargin. Subtomogram averaging showed that the luminal filaments adopt a helical structure reminiscent of cofilin-bound actin (cofilactin). Consistent with this, cofilin was activated in cells under the same conditions that increased luminal filament occurrence. Furthermore, RNAi knock-down of cofilin reduced the frequency of luminal filaments with cofilactin morphology. These results suggest that cofilin activation stimulates its accumulation on actin filaments inside the microtubule lumen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephen L. Rogers
- Department of Biology and Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Andrew P. Carter
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Ave, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK
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3
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Eckel BD, Cruz R, Craig EM, Baas PW. Microtubule polarity flaws as a treatable driver of neurodegeneration. Brain Res Bull 2023; 192:208-215. [PMID: 36442694 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Microtubule disruption is a common downstream mechanism leading to axonal degeneration in a number of neurological diseases. To date, most studies on this topic have focused on the loss of microtubule mass from the axon, as well as changes in the stability properties of the microtubules and/or their tubulin composition. Here we posit corruption of the normal pattern of microtubule polarity orientation as an underappreciated and yet treatable contributor to axonal degeneration. We include computational modeling to fortify the rigor of our considerations. Our simulations demonstrate that even a small deviation from the usual polarity pattern of axonal microtubules is detrimental to motor-based trafficking of organelles and other intracellular cargo. Additional modeling predicts that axons with such deviations will exhibit significantly reduced speed and reliability of organelle transport, and that localized clusters of wrongly oriented microtubules will result in traffic jams of accumulated organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridie D Eckel
- Dept Neurobiol/Anat, Drexel University, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Roy Cruz
- Dept Physics, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
| | - Erin M Craig
- Dept Physics, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
| | - Peter W Baas
- Dept Neurobiol/Anat, Drexel University, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA.
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4
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d'Amico EA, Ud Din Ahmad M, Cmentowski V, Girbig M, Müller F, Wohlgemuth S, Brockmeyer A, Maffini S, Janning P, Vetter IR, Carter AP, Perrakis A, Musacchio A. Conformational transitions of the Spindly adaptor underlie its interaction with Dynein and Dynactin. J Cell Biol 2022; 221:213466. [PMID: 36107127 PMCID: PMC9481740 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202206131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic Dynein 1, or Dynein, is a microtubule minus end-directed motor. Dynein motility requires Dynactin and a family of activating adaptors that stabilize the Dynein-Dynactin complex and promote regulated interactions with cargo in space and time. How activating adaptors limit Dynein activation to specialized subcellular locales is unclear. Here, we reveal that Spindly, a mitotic Dynein adaptor at the kinetochore corona, exists natively in a closed conformation that occludes binding of Dynein-Dynactin to its CC1 box and Spindly motif. A structure-based analysis identified various mutations promoting an open conformation of Spindly that binds Dynein-Dynactin. A region of Spindly downstream from the Spindly motif and not required for cargo binding faces the CC1 box and stabilizes the intramolecular closed conformation. This region is also required for robust kinetochore localization of Spindly, suggesting that kinetochores promote Spindly activation to recruit Dynein. Thus, our work illustrates how specific Dynein activation at a defined cellular locale may require multiple factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ennio A d'Amico
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Misbha Ud Din Ahmad
- Oncode Institute and Department of Biochemistry, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Verena Cmentowski
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany.,Centre for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Franziska Müller
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sabine Wohlgemuth
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Andreas Brockmeyer
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Stefano Maffini
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Petra Janning
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Ingrid R Vetter
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Anastassis Perrakis
- Oncode Institute and Department of Biochemistry, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Musacchio
- Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany.,Centre for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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5
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Akhmanova A, Kapitein LC. Mechanisms of microtubule organization in differentiated animal cells. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:541-558. [PMID: 35383336 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00473-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules are polarized cytoskeletal filaments that serve as tracks for intracellular transport and form a scaffold that positions organelles and other cellular components and modulates cell shape and mechanics. In animal cells, the geometry, density and directionality of microtubule networks are major determinants of cellular architecture, polarity and proliferation. In dividing cells, microtubules form bipolar spindles that pull chromosomes apart, whereas in interphase cells, microtubules are organized in a cell type-specific fashion, which strongly correlates with cell physiology. In motile cells, such as fibroblasts and immune cells, microtubules are organized as radial asters, whereas in immotile epithelial and neuronal cells and in muscles, microtubules form parallel or antiparallel arrays and cortical meshworks. Here, we review recent work addressing how the formation of such microtubule networks is driven by the plethora of microtubule regulatory proteins. These include proteins that nucleate or anchor microtubule ends at different cellular structures and those that sever or move microtubules, as well as regulators of microtubule elongation, stability, bundling or modifications. The emerging picture, although still very incomplete, shows a remarkable diversity of cell-specific mechanisms that employ conserved building blocks to adjust microtubule organization in order to facilitate different cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Akhmanova
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Lukas C Kapitein
- Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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6
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Lu W, Lakonishok M, Serpinskaya AS, Gelfand VI. A novel mechanism of bulk cytoplasmic transport by cortical dynein in Drosophila ovary. eLife 2022; 11:75538. [PMID: 35170428 PMCID: PMC8896832 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytoplasmic dynein, a major minus-end directed microtubule motor, plays essential roles in eukaryotic cells. Drosophila oocyte growth is mainly dependent on the contribution of cytoplasmic contents from the interconnected sister cells, nurse cells. We have previously shown that cytoplasmic dynein is required for Drosophila oocyte growth and assumed that it simply transports cargoes along microtubule tracks from nurse cells to the oocyte. Here, we report that instead of transporting individual cargoes along stationary microtubules into the oocyte, cortical dynein actively moves microtubules within nurse cells and from nurse cells to the oocyte via the cytoplasmic bridges, the ring canals. This robust microtubule movement is sufficient to drag even inert cytoplasmic particles through the ring canals to the oocyte. Furthermore, replacing dynein with a minus-end directed plant kinesin linked to the actin cortex is sufficient for transporting organelles and cytoplasm to the oocyte and driving its growth. These experiments show that cortical dynein performs bulk cytoplasmic transport by gliding microtubules along the cell cortex and through the ring canals to the oocyte. We propose that the dynein-driven microtubule flow could serve as a novel mode of fast cytoplasmic transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Lu
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States
| | - Margot Lakonishok
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States
| | - Anna S Serpinskaya
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States
| | - Vladimir I Gelfand
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States
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7
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Del Castillo U, Norkett R, Lu W, Serpinskaya A, Gelfand VI. Ataxin-2 is essential for cytoskeletal dynamics and neurodevelopment in Drosophila. iScience 2022; 25:103536. [PMID: 34977501 PMCID: PMC8689088 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Ataxin-2 (Atx2) is a highly conserved RNA binding protein. Atx2 undergoes polyglutamine expansion leading to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2). However, the physiological functions of Atx2 in neurons remain unknown. Here, using the powerful genetics of Drosophila, we show that Atx2 is essential for normal neuronal cytoskeletal dynamics and organelle trafficking. Upon neuron-specific Atx2 loss, the microtubule and actin networks were abnormally stabilized and cargo transport was drastically inhibited. Depletion of Atx2 caused multiple morphological defects in the nervous system of third instar larvae. These include reduced brain size, impaired axon development, and decreased dendrite outgrowth. Defects in the nervous system caused loss of the ability to crawl and lethality at the pupal stage. Taken together, these data mark Atx2 as a major regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics and denote Atx2 as an essential gene in neurodevelopment, as well as a neurodegenerative factor. Atx2 is a major regulator of the cytoskeleton in neurons Atx2 is responsible for maintaining dynamic cytoskeletal networks Atx2 depletion in the Drosophila larval CNS severely impairs organelle transport Atx2 is necessary for correct neurite outgrowth and CNS development in Drosophila
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Affiliation(s)
- Urko Del Castillo
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Rosalind Norkett
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Wen Lu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Anna Serpinskaya
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Vladimir I Gelfand
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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Voelzmann A, Sanchez-Soriano N. Drosophila Primary Neuronal Cultures as a Useful Cellular Model to Study and Image Axonal Transport. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2431:429-449. [PMID: 35412291 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1990-2_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The use of primary neuronal cultures generated from Drosophila tissue provides a powerful model for studies of transport mechanisms. Cultured fly neurons provide similarly detailed subcellular resolution and applicability of pharmacology or fluorescent dyes as mammalian primary neurons. As an experimental advantage for the mechanistic dissection of transport, fly primary neurons can be combined with the fast and highly efficient combinatorial genetics of Drosophila, and genetic tools for the manipulation of virtually every fly gene are readily available. This strategy can be performed in parallel to in vivo transport studies to address relevance of any findings. Here we will describe the generation of primary neuronal cultures from Drosophila embryos and larvae, the use of external fluorescent dyes and genetic tools to label cargo, and the key strategies for live imaging and subsequent analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Voelzmann
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Natalia Sanchez-Soriano
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Cell Signalling, Institute of Systems, Molecular & Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
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9
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Inal MA, Bui KC, Marar A, Li S, Kner P, Kamiyama D. Imaging of In Vitro and In Vivo Neurons in Drosophila Using Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e203. [PMID: 34289261 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The Drosophila melanogaster brain comprises different neuronal cell types that interconnect with precise patterns of synaptic connections. These patterns are essential for the normal function of the brain. To understand the connectivity patterns requires characterizing them at single-cell resolution, for which a fluorescence microscope becomes an indispensable tool. Additionally, because the neurons connect at the nanoscale, the investigation often demands super-resolution microscopy. Here, we adopt one super-resolution microscopy technique, called stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), improving the lateral and axial resolution to ∼20 nm. This article extensively describes our methods along with considerations for sample preparation of neurons in vitro and in vivo, conjugation of dyes to antibodies, immunofluorescence labeling, and acquisition and processing of STORM data. With these tools and techniques, we open up the potential to investigate cell-cell interactions using STORM in the Drosophila nervous system. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preparation of Drosophila primary neuronal culture and embryonic fillets Basic Protocol 2: Immunofluorescence labeling of samples Basic Protocol 3: Single-molecule fluorescence imaging Basic Protocol 4: Localization and visualization of single-molecule data Supporting Protocol: Conjugation of antibodies with STORM-compatible dyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Ana Inal
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Kathy Clara Bui
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Abhijit Marar
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Shaoheng Li
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Peter Kner
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Daichi Kamiyama
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
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The Disordered Spindly C-terminus Interacts with RZZ Subunits ROD-1 and ZWL-1 in the Kinetochore through the Same Sites in C. Elegans. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:166812. [PMID: 33450249 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.166812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Spindly is a dynein adaptor involved in chromosomal segregation during cell division. While Spindly's N-terminal domain binds to the microtubule motor dynein and its activator dynactin, the C-terminal domain (Spindly-C) binds its cargo, the ROD/ZW10/ZWILCH (RZZ) complex in the outermost layer of the kinetochore. In humans, Spindly-C binds to ROD, while in C. elegans Spindly-C binds to both Zwilch (ZWL-1) and ROD-1. Here, we employed various biophysical techniques to characterize the structure, dynamics and interaction sites of C. elegans Spindly-C. We found that despite the overall disorder, there are two regions with variable α-helical propensity. One of these regions is located in the C-terminal half and is compact; the second is sparsely populated in the N-terminal half. The interactions with both ROD-1 and ZWL-1 are mostly mediated by the same two sequentially remote disordered segments of Spindly-C, which are C-terminally adjacent to the helical regions. The findings suggest that the Spindly-C binding sites on ROD-1 in the ROD-1/ZWL-1 complex context are either shielded or conformationally weakened by the presence of ZWL-1 such that only ZWL-1 directly interacts with Spindly-C in C. elegans.
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