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Sherer LA, Mahanta B, Courtemanche N. Computational tools for quantifying actin filament numbers, lengths, and bundling. Biol Open 2024; 13:bio060267. [PMID: 38372564 PMCID: PMC10924227 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060267] [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: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The actin cytoskeleton is a dynamic filamentous network that assembles into specialized structures to enable cells to perform essential processes. Direct visualization of fluorescently-labeled cytoskeletal proteins has provided numerous insights into the dynamic processes that govern the assembly of actin-based structures. However, accurate analysis of these experiments is often complicated by the interdependent and kinetic natures of the reactions involved. It is often challenging to disentangle these processes to accurately track their evolution over time. Here, we describe two programs written in the MATLAB programming language that facilitate counting, length measurements, and quantification of bundling of actin filaments visualized in fluorescence micrographs. To demonstrate the usefulness of our programs, we describe their application to the analysis of two representative reactions: (1) a solution of pre-assembled filaments under equilibrium conditions, and (2) a reaction in which actin filaments are crosslinked together over time. We anticipate that these programs can be applied to extract equilibrium and kinetic information from a broad range of actin-based reactions, and that their usefulness can be expanded further to investigate the assembly of other biopolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. Sherer
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Biswaprakash Mahanta
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Naomi Courtemanche
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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Moore RP, Fogerson SM, Tulu US, Yu JW, Cox AH, Sican MA, Li D, Legant WR, Weigel AV, Crawford JM, Betzig E, Kiehart DP. Super-resolution microscopy reveals actomyosin dynamics in medioapical arrays. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar94. [PMID: 35544300 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e21-11-0537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Arrays of actin filaments (F-actin) near the apical surface of epithelial cells (medioapical arrays) contribute to apical constriction and morphogenesis throughout phylogeny. Here, super-resolution approaches (grazing incidence structured illumination, GI-SIM and lattice light sheet, LLSM) microscopy resolve individual, fluorescently labeled F-actin and bipolar myosin filaments that drive amnioserosa cell shape changes during dorsal closure in Drosophila. In expanded cells, F-actin and myosin form loose, apically domed meshworks at the plasma membrane. The arrays condense as cells contract, drawing the domes into the plane of the junctional belts. As condensation continues, individual filaments are no longer uniformly apparent. As cells expand, arrays of actomyosin are again resolved - some F-actin turnover likely occurs, but a large fraction of existing filaments rearrange. In morphologically isotropic cells, actin filaments are randomly oriented and during contraction, are drawn together but remain essentially randomly oriented. In anisotropic cells, largely parallel actin filaments are drawn closer to one another. Our images offer unparalleled resolution of F-actin in embryonic tissue show that medioapical arrays are tightly apposed to the plasma membrane, are continuous with meshworks of lamellar F-actin and thereby constitute modified cell cortex. In concert with other tagged array components, super-resolution imaging of live specimens will offer new understanding of cortical architecture and function. [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text] [Media: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Regan P Moore
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.,Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27599, USA and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | | | - U Serdar Tulu
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Jason W Yu
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Amanda H Cox
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | | | - Dong Li
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Wesley R Legant
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.,Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27599, USA and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Aubrey V Weigel
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA
| | | | - Eric Betzig
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA.,Departments of Physics and Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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