![]() |
|
|
A more recent version of this article appeared on April 15, 2009
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted on December 14, 2008
Revised on February 6, 2009
Accepted on February 18, 2009
*Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology,
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
Monitoring Editor: Fred Chang
Like animal cells, fission yeast divides by assembling actin filaments into a contractile ring. In addition to formin Cdc12p and profilin, the single tropomyosin isoform SpTm is required for contractile ring assembly. Cdc12p nucleates actin filaments and remains processively associated with the elongating barbed end while driving the addition of profilin-actin. SpTm is thought to stabilize mature filaments, but it is not known how SpTm localizes to the contractile ring and whether SpTm plays a direct role in Cdc12p-mediated actin polymerization. Utilizing bulk and single actin filament assays we discovered that Cdc12p can recruit SpTm to actin filaments and that SpTm has diverse affects on Cdc12p-mediated actin assembly. On its own, SpTm inhibits actin filament elongation and depolymerization. However, Cdc12p completely overcomes the combined inhibition of actin nucleation and barbed end elongation by profilin and SpTm. Furthermore, SpTm increases the length of Cdc12p-nucleated actin filaments by enhancing the elongation rate twofold and by allowing them to anneal end-to-end. On the other hand, SpTm ultimately turns off Cdc12p-mediated elongation by trapping Cdc12p within annealed filaments or by dissociating Cdc12p from the barbed end. Therefore, SpTm makes multiple contributions to contractile ring assembly during and after actin polymerization.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
B. C. Stark, T. E. Sladewski, L. W. Pollard, and M. Lord Tropomyosin and Myosin-II Cellular Levels Promote Actomyosin Ring Assembly in Fission Yeast Mol. Biol. Cell, March 15, 2010; 21(6): 989 - 1000. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. Taniguchi, R. Takeya, S. Suetsugu, M. Kan-o, M. Narusawa, A. Shiose, R. Tominaga, and H. Sumimoto Mammalian Formin Fhod3 Regulates Actin Assembly and Sarcomere Organization in Striated Muscles J. Biol. Chem., October 23, 2009; 284(43): 29873 - 29881. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||