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Novel roles of SCAR/WAVE subunits in the regulation of actin dynamics

Antragsteller Professor Dr. Jan Faix
Fachliche Zuordnung Zellbiologie
Förderung Förderung von 2009 bis 2013
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 157539715
 
Erstellungsjahr 2014

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

The SCAR/WAVE complex links upstream Rho-family GTPase signaling to the activation of the conserved ARP2/3 complex in different. SCAR/WAVE-induced and ARP2/3-complexmediated actin nucleation beneath the plasma membrane is crucial for the assembly of actin in protruding lamellipodia to drive cell migration. The SCAR/WAVE complex is composed of SCAR/WAVE, Abi, Nap, Pir and Brk1/HSPC300 and is believed to largely act as a molecular entity. We have determined the crystal structure and analyzed the function of the smallest complex subunit Brk1. Based on these results we suggest that a constant pool of Brk1 homotrimers allows for formation of a given number of monomers, which directly bind and stabilize de novo synthesized Scar/WAVE and Abi subunits. Since the activation of the Arp2/3-complex is a highly regulated process in vivo, we further assume that heterotrimeric Scar/AbiA/DdBrk1-complexes immediately associate with the heterodimeric Nap/Pir platform to mask the VCA domain of Scar/WAVE proteins to prevent the unregulated activation of the Arp2/3-complex. Notably, Brk1 forms the majority of the surface contacts between heterotrimeric HsBrk1/Abi2/WAVE1 and Nap/Pir platform within the trimeric coiled-coil region. We therefore proposed that in the final assembly step, Brk1 serves as an adapter protein to stabilize and coordinate the assembly of the heterotrimer and the binding to the Pir/Nap platform to assemble the mature Scar/WAVE complex. We further designed a novel extrachromosomal Cre-recombinase expression vector that enables stringent selection procedures and much higher transfection rates, resulting in highly efficient recycling of selection markers, which will be important for the generation of Dictyostelium mutants lacking combinations of SCAR/WAVE complex components in future work. Due to publication of highly overlapping work from a competing laboratory, we then had to deviate from our proposed programme and changed our strategy. In the following we therefore analyzed the function of Arpin and the I-BAR-domain protein IRSp53 in actin-based motility. In cooperation with our international cooperation partners we show that Arpin antagonizes membrane protrusions and allows cell turning by competitive inhibition Scar/WAVE-mediated activation of the Arp2/3 complex. The function of the protein seems to be evolutionary highly conserved as evidenced by perturbation of Arpin function in various experimental systems. As shown by biochemical and in vivo assays IRSp53 by itself counteract actin assembly. Binding to the small GTPase Cdc42 to IRSp53, however, relieves this inhibition and promotes IRSp53-dependent recruitment and clustering of VASP to the plasma membrane to initiate processive F-actin elongation. These events result in spatial restriction of VASP activity to initiate filopodia, drive cell migration, and promote tissue repair. The only I-BAR-domain protein member of Dictyostelium cells IBARa, reminiscent of IRSp53, also localizes to filopodia, but seem not to be required for their formation. Instead, it is critically involved in numerous processes including osmoregulation, phagocytosis, cell migration and cytokinesis, indicating that IBARa has an important role in processes that require a dynamic rearrangement of cellular membranes.

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