|
Advertisement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 278, Issue 36, 34347-34355, September 5, 2003
Mammals Have Two Twinfilin Isoforms Whose Subcellular Localizations and Tissue Distributions Are Differentially Regulated* ![]() ![]() ||
From the
Programs in
Received for publication, April 8, 2003 , and in revised form, June 2, 2003.
Twinfilin is a highly conserved actin monomer-binding protein that regulates cytoskeletal dynamics in organisms from yeast to mammals. In addition to the previously characterized mammalian twinfilin-1, a second protein with 65% sequence identity to twinfilin-1 exists in mouse and
humans. However, previous studies failed to identify any actin binding
activity in this protein (Rohwer, A., Kittstein, W., Marks, F., and Gschwendt,
M. (1999) Eur. J. Biochem. 263, 518525). Here we show that
this protein, which we named twinfilin-2, is indeed an actin monomer-binding
protein. Similar to twinfilin-1, mouse twinfilin-2 binds ADP-G-actin with a
higher affinity (KD = 0.12 µM) than
ATP-G-actin (KD = 1.96 µM) and efficiently
inhibits actin filament assembly in vitro. Both mouse twinfilins
inhibit the nucleotide exchange on actin monomers and directly interact with
capping protein. Furthermore, the actin interactions of mouse twinfilin-1 and
twinfilin-2 are inhibited by phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate. Although
biochemically very similar, our Northern blots and in situ
hybridizations show that these two proteins display distinct expression
patterns. Twinfilin-1 is the major isoform in embryos and in most adult mouse
non-muscle cell-types, whereas twinfilin-2 is the predominant isoform of adult
heart and skeletal muscles. Studies with isoform-specific antibodies
demonstrated that although the two proteins show similar localizations in
unstimulated cells, they are regulated by different mechanisms. The small
GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42 induce the redistribution of twinfilin-1 to membrane
ruffles and cell-cell contacts, respectively, but do not affect the
localization of twinfilin-2. Taken together, these data show that mammals have
two twinfilin isoforms, which are differentially expressed and regulated
through distinct cellular signaling pathways.
Actin is a conserved protein that is necessary for a large number of cellular processes including cell division, movement, polarized growth, secretion, and endocytosis. In cells, actin filaments form dynamic structures that rapidly assemble and disassemble in a coordinated fashion. Actin dynamics are tightly regulated by an array of actin-binding proteins that interact with actin filaments and/or monomeric actin. The pool of unpolymerized actin in non-muscle cells can constitute up to 50% of the total cytoplasmic actin, and thus the various actin monomer-binding proteins play an important role in actin dynamics by regulating the size, localizations, and dynamics of the cellular actin monomer pool (1).
Three families of small actin monomer-binding proteins are conserved in
evolution, existing in organisms as diverse as yeast and mammals. These are
profilins,
ADF1cofilins, and
twinfilins. In addition to these evolutionarily conserved proteins, a fourth
class of small actin monomer-binding proteins, the
Profilins are ubiquitous actin monomer-binding proteins with a molecular weight of 1216 kDa. Profilins have a higher affinity for ATP-actin monomers than they do for ADP-G-actin, and they also interact with phospholipids and polyproline (1). These ubiquitous proteins can affect several different aspects of actin dynamics. In the absence of free filament-barbed ends, profilins function as actin monomer-sequestering proteins, whereas in the presence of free barbed ends, profilins promote actin filament assembly (3, 4). Most profilins also enhance the nucleotide exchange on actin monomers, and at least in yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, this activity is essential in vivo (5, 6). ADF/cofilins are small (molecular mass = 1519 kDa) essential proteins composed of a single ADF-H domain. They interact with both actin monomers and filaments and bind ADP-actin with a higher affinity than they do to ATP-actin (7, 8). ADF/cofilins enhance actin filament dynamics by depolymerizing filaments from their pointed ends (8) and by severing actin filaments, thereby increasing the amount of filament ends (9). Furthermore, ADF/cofilins inhibit the nucleotide exchange on actin monomers (10, 11). Twinfilin was originally identified from the yeast S. cerevisiae by its sequence homology to ADF/cofilin proteins (12, 13). Twinfilin is composed of two ADF/cofilin-like domains (ADF-H domains) that are separated by a short linker region and flanked by a short tail region. The two ADF-H domains are 20% homologous to ADF/cofilin and to each other (12). Although twinfilin shares similar building blocks to ADF/cofilins, these two proteins have profound differences in their biochemical properties. Whereas ADF/cofilins bind both actin monomers and filaments, twinfilins interact only with monomeric actin and do not promote filament depolymerization (1315). Similar to ADF/cofilins, twinfilins bind ADP-G-actin with a higher affinity than they do to ATP-G-actin and have slower koff rates from actin monomers and prevent filament assembly much more efficiently than ADF/cofilins (16, 17). Twinfilins also interact with heterodimeric capping proteins, and their physiological function may be to localize actin monomers to the cellular sites of rapid actin dynamics (16, 18).
In multicellular organisms, there are typically several isoforms of both
ADF/cofilin and profilin. The three mammalian ADF/cofilin isoforms (cofilin-1,
cofilin-2, and ADF) are expressed in distinct tissues, and their affinities
for actin monomers and their effects on actin filament depolymerization and
nucleation differ. This finding suggests that the three mammalian ADF/cofilin
isoforms have evolved to fulfill the specific requirements for actin dynamics
in differentiated cell types
(19,
20). Also the three profilin
isoforms in mammals (profilin I, profilin IIa, and profilin IIb) show cell
type-specific expression patterns
(21,
22) and display differences in
their affinities for actin and their other ligands: polyproline and
phospholipids
(2124).
To examine whether there are also several twinfilin isoforms in mammals, we
carried out searches on mouse and human sequence databases. These searches
revealed one mouse and one human protein with
Plasmid ConstructionThe DNA fragment corresponding to mouse twinfilin-2 cDNA was amplified by PCR from an embryonic days (E)720 mouse embryo cDNA library. The oligonucleotides introduced NcoI and HindIII sites at the 5' and 3' ends of the PCR product, respectively. The PCR fragment was digested with NcoI and HindIII and ligated into the pGAT2 vector (25) to create plasmid pPL68. The plasmid for expressing mouse twinfilin-1 as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein (pPL78) has been described previously (14). For expression of His-tagged versions of twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 in Escherichia coli, the plasmids pPL78 and pPL68 were digested with NcoI and HindIII and the cDNA fragments were cloned into the pHAT2 vector (25) to create plasmids pPL144 and pPL182. For in situ hybridizations, the full-length mouse twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 cDNAs were subcloned into pBSIIKS vector to yield plasmids pPL184 and pPL185. The vectors for expressing mouse 1 2 and chicken
1 1-capping proteins in E. coli
were kindly provided by Drs. John Cooper (Washington University, St. Louis,
MO) and Takashi Obinata (Chiba University, Chiba, Japan), and have been
described previously (16,
26). The plasmids for
expressing Rho family GTPases in mammalian cells have been described
previously (14).
ProteinsThe expression and purification of mouse
twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 as GST fusion proteins from the plasmids pPL68 and
pPL78 were carried out as described previously
(14). For expressing
His-tagged mouse twinfilins, 6000 ml of E. coli BL21(DE3) cells
transformed with plasmid pPL144 (twinfilin-1) or pPL182 (twinfilin-2) were
grown in Luria broth medium to an optical density of 0.6 at 600 nm and
expression was induced with 0.2 mM
isopropyl- Actin Monomer-binding AssaysThe change in the fluorescence of 7-chloro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD)-labeled G-actin was used to monitor the binding of twinfilins to actin monomers. Actin was labeled by NBD-Cl as described previously (28, 29). ADP-actin was prepared by incubating NBD-actin with hexokinase-agarose beads (Sigma) and glucose for 2 h at +4 °C (30). The final concentration of actin in these assays was 0.2 µM, and the twinfilin concentration was varied from 0.05 to 14 µM. Experiments were carried out at room temperature in F-buffer (2 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 0.1 mM CaCl2, 0.1 mM DTT, 0.2 mM ADP or ATP, 1 mg/ml bovine serum albumin, 2 mM MgCl2, 0.1 M KCl). The data were analyzed as described previously (17). The rate of nucleotide exchange on actin monomers in the absence and presence of twinfilin was measured as described previously (10). Actin Assembly AssaysKinetics of actin filament assembly was monitored by pyrene fluorescence with excitation at 365 nm and emission at 407 nm using a BioLogic MOS-250 fluorescence spectrophotometer. 54 µl of 3.9 µM actin (1:6 pyrene actin:human platelet actin) in G-buffer (5 mM Tris (pH 7.5), 0.2 mM ATP, 0.2 mM DTT, 0.2 mM CaCl2) was mixed with 7 µl of G-buffer or 15/30 µM twinfilin-1 or twinfilin-2 in the presence or absence of PI(4,5)P2 (Matreya Inc). Polymerization was induced by the addition of 7 µl of 10x initiation mixture (1 M KCl, 20 mM MgCl2, 5 mM ATP).
Native Gel ElectrophoresisThe interaction of mouse
twinfilins with PI(4,5)P2 was examined by native gel
electrophoresis as described for yeast twinfilin
(16). Final concentrations of
twinfilin in these assays were 4 µM, and the
PI(4,5)P2 concentrations were 0, 20, or 30 µM.
Twinfilin-capping protein interactions were studied on 6% native
polyacrylamide gels. Purified mouse twinfilins and chicken
Northern BlottingTwinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 cDNA probes were prepared as described previously (14). Both twinfilin probes were hybridized to commercial mouse embryo and adult mouse multiple tissue Northern blots (Clontech) according to manufacturer's instructions. The Northern blot filters were then exposed on a PhosphorImager screen for 120 min (with the exception of 600 min in the case of embryo blot for twinfilin-2). RNA in Situ HybridizationRadioactive in situ hybridization assays were performed on sections from paraffin-embedded mouse embryos or adult tissues as described previously (31). The 35S-labeled antisense and sense RNA probes for twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 were transcribed from plasmids pPL184 and pPL185, respectively. AntibodiesGeneration of rabbit anti-mouse twinfilin-1 antibody has been described previously (14). However, because our studies showed that the antibody also cross-reacted with mouse twinfilin-2, this antibody was further purified by removing the twinfilin-2-recognizing fraction by a twinfilin-2 affinity column. Chicken anti-mouse twinfilin-2 IgY was generated in Agrisera Inc (Vännäs, Sweden) by immunizing chicken with recombinant His-tagged twinfilin-2. For affinity purification, recombinant twinfilin-2 was immobilized to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B beads (Amersham Biosciences) and the chicken antibody was purified from 2 ml of serum according to manufacturer's instructions. Because this antibody also cross-reacted with twinfilin-1, the fraction recognizing twinfilin-1 was removed by a twinfilin-1 affinity column. Cell Culture, Immunofluorescence, and Western BlottingNIH 3T3 and Neuro2A cells were maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (Invitrogen), 2 mM L-glutamine, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. For immunofluorescence studies, Neuro2A cells were grown on glass coverslips coated with poly-L-ornithine (1 mg/ml). For studies with dominant active RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42, NIH 3T3 cells were transfected with 1.5 µg of plasmids using the Roche Applied Science FuGENE 6 transfection system according to manufacturer's instructions. Immunofluorescence microscopy was performed as described previously (14). Anti-twinfilin-1 antibody was used at a 1:500 dilution and anti-twinfilin-2 at a 1:300 dilution. Rhodamine-phalloidin (Molecular Probes) was used at a 1:300 dilution. For Western blotting, cell lysates were prepared as described previously (14) and the total protein concentrations were measured using Bradford reagent (Sigma) according to manufacturer's instructions. Western blotting was performed according to instructions from Agrisera Inc. Anti-twinfilin-1 antibody was used at a 1:1000 dilution, anti-twinfilin-2 was used at 1:500, and anti-cofilin-1 was used at 1:1000. The horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-chicken and anti-rabbit secondary antibodies (Jackson Inc.) were used at a 1:15,000 dilution.
MiscellaneousProtein concentrations were determined with a
Hewlett-Packard 8452A diode array spectrophotometer using calculated
extinction coefficients at A280 for mouse twinfilin-1
(
Twinfilin is an actin monomer-binding protein that regulates cytoskeletal dynamics in yeast (13), fruitfly (15), and mouse cells (14). In our data base searches, we identified a new twinfilin-related protein in human and mouse and named it twinfilin-2. The human and mouse twinfilin-2 are 97% identical at the amino acid level and show 65% sequence identity to the previously
characterized human and mouse twinfilin-1
(14). The mammalian
twinfilin-2 proteins appear to have similar domain structures to other known
twinfilins, and the residues that were shown to be important for actin monomer
binding in yeast twinfilin
(16) and mouse twinfilin-1
(32) are well conserved in
twinfilin-2 (Fig. 1). However,
the human homologue of twinfilin-2 (A6-related protein) had been previously
identified as a binding partner of the catalytic domain of protein kinase
C , and these earlier studies failed to detect any actin-related
activities in this protein. These data suggested that despite the strong
sequence homology to other twinfilins, it would not be an actin-binding
protein (33).
Mouse Twinfilin-2 Is an Actin Monomer-binding ProteinTo examine the biochemical activities of mouse twinfilin-2, we expressed it as a GST fusion protein in E. coli cells. GST was subsequently removed by thrombin digestion, and the recombinant protein was further purified by gel-filtration chromatography. The purified recombinant mouse twinfilin-2 was fully soluble and monomeric according to its elution position from a gel-filtration column.
We recently showed that the fluorescence of muscle NBD-G-actin is modulated
upon binding to mouse twinfilin-1, thereby providing a means to determine the
affinity of twinfilin-1/actin monomer complex
(17). Therefore, we examined
whether mouse twinfilin-2 would also affect the fluorescence of NBD-G-actin.
The assays were carried out under physiological ionic concentrations and by
using NBD-labeled platelet actin. The binding of twinfilin-2 resulted in a 50%
enhancement in the fluorescence of NBD-G-actin, indicating that twinfilin-2
also interacts with actin monomers (Fig.
2). The KD values of twinfilin-2 for
ADP-G-actin and ATP-G-actin were 0.12 and 1.96 µM, respectively.
A similar assay with twinfilin-1 provided KD values of
0.09 µM (ADP-G-actin) and 1.77 µM (ATP-G-actin).
Therefore, both mouse twinfilins bind ADP-G-actin with
We also used an actin co-sedimentation assay to examine the possible interactions of mouse twinfilins with actin filaments. Neither twinfilin-1 nor twinfilin-2 co-sedimented with actin filaments, providing further support for the previous conclusions that twinfilins do not interact with F-actin (13, 15). However, both twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 increased the amount of monomeric actin in F-actin co-sedimentation assays, indicating that they inhibit actin filament assembly in vitro (data not shown).
Previous studies on yeast twinfilin
(13) showed that this protein
decreases the rate of nucleotide exchange of G-actin. The ability of mouse
twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 to inhibit the exchange of
Interactions of Mouse Twinfilin Isoforms with PI(4,5)P2 and Capping ProteinPhosphoinositides, especially PI(4,5)P2, modulate the activities of many actin-binding proteins such as ADF/cofilin (34) and profilin (35). Previous studies showed that yeast twinfilin also interacts with phosphoinositides and that PI(4,5)P2 inhibits its actin monomer-sequestering activity in vitro (16). To examine whether mouse twinfilins also interact with PI(4,5)P2, we carried out a native gel electrophoresis assay (Fig. 4A). In this assay, 4 µM mouse twinfilin-1 or twinfilin-2 were loaded onto a native gel either alone or in a mixture with 20 or 30 µM PI(4,5)P2 and run toward the anode by their own charges. As shown in Fig. 4A, purified twinfilins migrate as a single sharp band, but when mixed with PI(4,5)P2 before loading on a gel, twinfilins migrate as a smear. This shows that both mouse twinfilins directly interact with PI(4,5)P2.
To examine the effects of PI(4,5)P2 on the actin binding
activity of mouse twinfilins, we carried out a pyrene-actin assembly assay
(Fig. 4B). Both mouse
twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 inhibit the nucleation/polymerization of
pyrene-actin in a concentration-dependent manner. However, when twinfilins
were preincubated with PI(4,5)P2 before the assay, they were
significantly less effective in inhibiting the pyrene-actin assembly. 3
µM twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 with 30 µM
PI(4,5)P2 inhibit actin assembly as efficiently as 1.5
µM twinfilin without PI(4,5)P2, suggesting that 30
µM PI(4,5)P2 down-regulates the activity of twinfilin
by
In addition to actin and phospholipids, yeast twinfilin binds capping
protein (Cap1/2p). This interaction appears to be essential for the correct
subcellular localization of twinfilin in yeast cells
(16). Furthermore, mouse
twinfilin-1 was shown to also interact with
Expression Patterns of Mouse TwinfilinsThe expression patterns of twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 genes in developing mouse embryos and adult mouse tissues were examined by Northern blot (Fig. 6) and RNA in situ hybridization analyses (Fig. 7). Northern blot analysis with twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 cDNA probes showed that twinfilin-1 is the major isoform during embryonic development and is expressed at a constant level during embryonic days (E) 717. In contrast, twinfilin-2 was only weakly expressed in embryos and its mRNA levels appeared to increase during development (Fig. 6A). These results were further confirmed by in situ hybridization analysis of mouse embryos. Twinfilin-1 expression was widespread throughout the embryonic stages analyzed (E10.5, E12.5, E14.5, and E18.5) (Fig. 7A and data not shown). At E14.5, strongest expression was observed in the developing central and peripheral nervous system (CNS and PNS, respectively) and in the olfactory sensory epithelium (Fig. 7, C and D). In the CNS, the proliferating neuronal precursors in the ventricular zone expressed twinfilin-1 more than the postmitotic neurons (Fig. 7C). At E18.5, highest expression levels were detected in the mechanosensory hair cells of the inner ear (Fig. 7G) and in the differentiated keratinocytes of the skin (Fig. 7I). Twinfilin-2 expression was relatively weak during all of the embryonic stages (Fig. 7B and data not shown). At E14.5, a slight increase in the expression could be observed in heart, CNS, and PNS (Fig. 7D and data not shown). At E18.5, twinfilin-2 was strongly expressed in the inner ear hair cells and in the head muscles (Fig. 7H). Expression of both genes could be detected in the differentiating bone, whereas in cartilage, very little mRNA, if any, was present (Fig. 7, C, E, G, and H). In contrast to twinfilin-1, no expression of twinfilin-2 was detected in the nasal epithelium or in the skin keratinocytes (Fig. 7, F and J).
Northern blot analysis of adult mouse tissues indicated that twinfilin-1 is found in most tissues and is strongly expressed in liver and kidney (Fig. 6B). However, no twinfilin-1 expression could be detected in skeletal muscles. This expression pattern agreed well with our previous data where we examined the expression of twinfilin-1 mRNA by using a similar Northern blot filter (14). Interestingly, the expression pattern of twinfilin-2 was different from the one of twinfilin-1. Northern blot analysis showed that twinfilin-2 mRNA is expressed strongly only in the heart and is found at much lower levels in other tissues. It is important to note that twinfilin-2 is expressed in skeletal muscle where twinfilin-1 mRNA is absent and that twinfilin-1 is expressed at high levels in liver where no twinfilin-2 expression could be detected (Fig. 6B). The in situ hybridization analyses on adult tissue sections confirmed the results obtained with the Northern blot analysis. Twinfilin-1 was the only isoform expressed in adult mouse liver, and twinfilin-2 was the only one in skeletal muscle (data not shown). Both genes were expressed in all of the brain areas but at different levels. Whereas twinfilin-1 expression was especially strong in the septum and the ependymal cells lining the ventricles, twinfilin-2 was highly expressed in the cerebral cortex (data not shown). Twinfilins Are Abundant Proteins in Cultured Mouse CellsTo study the cell biological properties of mouse twinfilins, we generated isoform-specific antibodies against these two proteins. We had previously generated a polyclonal antibody against mouse twinfilin-1 in rabbit, but a Western blot analysis revealed that this antibody recognizes both twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 (data not shown). We further purified this antibody by adsorbing the cross-reactive fraction by a twinfilin-2 affinity column and obtained an antibody that is at least 500-fold more specific for twinfilin-1 than for twinfilin-2 (Fig. 8A, upper panel). Similarly, we generated antibodies against twinfilin-2 in hen (Agrisera Inc.), affinity-purified the IgY-fraction with recombinant mouse twinfilin-2, and cross-reacted it against twinfilin-1. After these purification steps, this antibody was at least 500-fold more specific for twinfilin-2 than for twinfilin-1 (Fig. 8A, lower panel).
We next used these specific antibodies to determine the abundances of
twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 in cultured mouse cells. We carried out a Western
blot analysis with different dilutions of NIH 3T3 and Neuro2A cell extracts
and several concentrations of purified mouse twinfilin-1, twinfilin-2, and
mouse cofilin-1 (Fig.
8B). On Western blots, the affinity-purified twinfilin-1
and cofilin-1 antibodies recognize a single band with mobilities identical to
the recombinant proteins, whereas the twinfilin-2 antibody recognizes a double
band that migrates at the position of the purified recombinant mouse
twinfilin-2. Because this affinity-purified antibody is highly specific for
twinfilin-2 (Fig. 8A)
and because a similar double band is also recognized by our other twinfilin-2
antibody generated in guinea-pig (data not shown), these two bands most
probably represent different posttranslationally modified (e.g.
phosphorylated) forms of twinfilin-2. A comparison of the intensities of
twinfilin staining in the recombinant protein and cell lysate samples shows
that in these cell lines twinfilin-2 is slightly more abundant than
twinfilin-1, being present at molar ratio of 1.3:1 to twinfilin-1. It is
important to note that the twinfilin-1/2:cofilin-1 molar ratio in these cells
is
Subcellular Localizations of Twinfilin-1 and Twinfilin-2 Immunofluorescence microscopy studies with the isoform-specific antibodies showed that twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 have similar subcellular localizations to each other in unstimulated Neuro 2A and NIH 3T3 cells. In Neuro 2A cells (a mouse neuroblastoma cell line), both twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 show strong perinuclear staining but also localize to the F-actin rich filopodia (Fig. 9, AC). Also in NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells, both proteins show punctate cytoplasmic localization that is especially prominent around the nucleus but are also enriched at actin-rich cell processes (Fig. 9, DI). However, in NIH 3T3 cells, twinfilin-1 appears to accumulate more strongly to these cell processes than twinfilin-2, suggesting that in this cell type, twinfilin isoforms have slight differences in their subcellular localizations.
Rho GTPases are members of the Ras superfamily of monomeric GTP-binding
proteins whose main function is to link membrane receptors to the assembly and
organization of the actin cytoskeleton. The most well characterized members of
this family are RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac1
(38). Previous studies with an
antibody that recognized both twinfilin isoforms suggested that the
localization of twinfilins in NIH 3T3 cells may be regulated by the small
GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42 (14).
Therefore, we examined the effects of these Rho GTPases on the localization of
twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 by using the isoform-specific antibodies.
Surprisingly, we observed that Rac1 and Cdc42 have distinct effects on these
two proteins. Twinfilin-1 co-localizes very strongly with the activated
Cdc42(V12) at the cell-cell contacts, whereas twinfilin-2 did not concentrate
at these sites in NIH 3T3 cells (Fig. 9,
DE). Furthermore, in cells expressing the
activated form of Rac1(V12), twinfilin-1 concentrated strongly to the
Rac1-induced membrane ruffles, whereas twinfilin-2 was localized equally
throughout the lamellipodium (Fig. 9,
GI). We further confirmed that the
twinfilin-1-rich sites induced by Cdc42(V12) are cell-cell contacts and not
dividing cells by
Twinfilin is a ubiquitous regulator of actin dynamics found in organisms from yeast to mammals (18). Here, we identified and characterized a second mouse twinfilin isoform, which shows 65% sequence identity to previously characterized mouse twinfilin-1. The protein, which we named twinfilin-2, is a mouse orthologue of human "A6-related protein" that was recently identified by Rohwer et al. (33). Interestingly, these authors reported that the recombinant GST fusion of human A6-related protein did not have any actin binding activity and therefore suggested that despite high sequence homology to twinfilins, this protein would exhibit a different function. Because our direct actin monomer binding, filament sedimentation, actin assembly, and G-actin nucleotide exchange assays clearly demonstrate that mouse twinfilin-2 binds actin monomers with a high affinity that is similar to those of mouse twinfilin-1 and other known twinfilins, we conclude that twinfilin-2 (A6-related protein) is indeed a functional member of the twinfilin protein family. We speculate that the lack of actin binding activity in the study by Rohwer et al. (33) may have resulted either from the lack of proper actin monomer-binding assays or from the inactivity of their recombinant GST fusion protein. It is possible that the GST at the N terminus of the recombinant protein in the study by Rohwer et al. (33) inhibits the actin binding activity of twinfilin-2 (in our studies the GST was removed from the recombinant proteins before biochemical assays). Our Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses suggested that either twinfilin-1 or twinfilin-2 is expressed in most cell types of mouse embryos and adult mice. Therefore, twinfilins appear to be involved in some central cellular processes that are common to all of the mammalian cell types. Similar to the mammalian ADF/cofilin and profilin isoforms, the two twinfilin isoforms show distinct expression patterns. Twinfilin-1 is the major isoform during development and in adult non-muscle cells, whereas twinfilin-2 is the predominant isoform of heart and skeletal muscles. Similarly, one of the mammalian ADF/cofilin isoforms, cofilin-2, is predominant in muscle, whereas the two other isoforms, cofilin-1 and ADF, are expressed strongly in non-muscle cells (19, 39). It is important to note that both mouse twinfilins are especially abundant in the mechanosensory hair cells of the inner ear. These cells have actin-based apical projections called stereocilia that display structural and functional similarity to Drosophila mechanosensory bristles. In a Drosophila strain that carries a mutation in the twinfilin gene, the actin bundles forming the bristles are severely misorganized (15). Therefore, high levels of twinfilins in mammalian inner ear hair cells may be necessary to maintain proper stereocilia structure and function. Although the two mammalian twinfilin isoforms have distinct expression patterns, we could not detect any significant differences in their affinities for actin monomers or capping protein. Furthermore, our studies did not reveal any specificity toward certain actin or capping protein isoforms for either of the mouse twinfilins (data not shown). Our previous studies (13) demonstrated that yeast twinfilin inhibits the nucleotide exchange on actin monomers and that the activity of yeast twinfilin can be down-regulated by PI(4,5)P2 in vitro (16). Here, we show that both mouse twinfilins inhibit the nucleotide exchange on actin monomers and bind PI(4,5)P2 similarly to yeast twinfilin, suggesting that these functions are universal for all of the members of the twinfilin family. Although we could not detect any significant biochemical differences between mouse twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2, it is possible that the two mouse proteins have differences in some other aspects of actin dynamics that can not be measured by currently available methods (e.g. the kinetics of actin monomer dissociation from twinfilin after interactions with capping protein). Furthermore, at least one of these proteins may have other ligands than actin, capping protein, and PIP2. For example, it is possible that twinfilin-2 may interact with certain sarcomere proteins to promote its specific function in the muscle cells.
Our quantitative Western blotting analysis showed that twinfilins are
abundant proteins, at least in cultured mouse Neuro 2A and NIH 3T3 cells. In
these cells, twinfilins are found in Although the two twinfilin isoforms show relatively similar localizations in unstimulated cells, only the subcellular localization of twinfilin-1 appears to be regulated by Rac1 and Cdc42. These two small GTPases are central regulators of polarized growth and motility in non-muscle cells (38), suggesting that twinfilin-1 may be involved in these cellular functions. The role of twinfilin-1 in polarized growth is further supported by its strong expression in developing neurons, skin, and olfactory sensory epithelium. In contrast, the predominant isoform in muscle cells, twinfilin-2, is not regulated by the small GTPases Cdc42 and Rac1. Twinfilin-2 may therefore be involved in the maintenance of sarcomere structure and perhaps does not promote any Rac1 and Cdc42-induced morphological and motile processes in muscle cells. In conclusion, our data shows that mammals have two isoforms of an actin monomer-binding protein, twinfilin. Twinfilin-1 is the major isoform in non-muscle cells, whereas twinfilin-2 is strongly expressed in heart and skeletal muscle cells. In addition, high levels of both proteins seem to be required in the inner ear sensory hair cells. Although biochemically similar, the subcellular localizations of twinfilin-1 and twinfilin-2 appear to be regulated through different intracellular signaling pathways. In the future, it will be important to elucidate the in vivo roles of these two mammalian twinfilin isoforms by genetic methods and to reveal the molecular mechanisms by which the activities and localizations of these two abundant actin-binding protein isoforms are regulated in mammalian cells.
* This study was supported by grants from the Academy of Finland, Biocentrum Helsinki, Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Young Investigator Program (to P. L.). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
|| To whom correspondence should be addressed: Institute of Biotechnology, P. O. Box 56, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. Tel.: 358-9-19159499; Fax: 358-9-19159366; E-mail: pekka.lappalainen{at}helsinki.fi.
1 The abbreviations used are: ADF, actin-depolymerizing factor; GST,
glutathione S-transferase; CNS, central nervous system; DTT,
dithiothreitol; PI(4,5)P2, phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate;
PNS, peripheral nervous system; E, embryonic day.
2 S. Falck, M. A. Wear, J. A. Cooper, and P. Lappalainen, unpublished
data.
3 M. K. Vartiainen, P. Hilpelä, and P. Lappalainen, unpublished
data.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Advertisement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||