Aip1p interacts with cofilin to disassemble actin filaments.

Actin interacting protein 1 (Aip1) is a conserved component of the actin cytoskeleton first identified in a two-hybrid screen against yeast actin. Here, we report that Aip1p also interacts with the ubiquitous actin depolymerizing factor cofilin. A two-hybrid-based approach using cofilin and actin mutants identified residues necessary for the interaction of actin, cofilin, and Aip1p in an apparent ternary complex. Deletion of the AIP1 gene is lethal in combination with cofilin mutants or act1-159, an actin mutation that slows the rate of actin filament disassembly in vivo. Aip1p localizes to cortical actin patches in yeast cells, and this localization is disrupted by specific actin and cofilin mutations. Further, Aip1p is required to restrict cofilin localization to cortical patches. Finally, biochemical analyses show that Aip1p causes net depolymerization of actin filaments only in the presence of cofilin and that cofilin enhances binding of Aip1p to actin filaments. We conclude that Aip1p is a cofilin-associated protein that enhances the filament disassembly activity of cofilin and restricts cofilin localization to cortical actin patches.     

Coordinated regulation of actin filament turnover by a high-molecular-weight Srv2/CAP complex, cofilin, profilin, and Aip1

BACKGROUND: Dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton requires rapid turnover of actin filaments, which is regulated in part by the actin filament severing/depolymerization factor cofilin/ADF. Two factors that cooperate with cofilin are Srv2/CAP and Aip1. Human CAP enhances cofilin-mediated actin turnover in vitro, but its biophysical properties have not been defined, and there has been no in vivo evidence reported for its role in turnover. Xenopus Aip1 forms a cofilin-dependent cap at filament barbed ends. It has been unclear how these diverse activities are coordinated in vivo. RESULTS: Purified native yeast Srv2/CAP forms a high molecular weight structure comprised solely of actin and Srv2. The complex is linked to actin filaments via the SH3 domain of Abp1. Srv2 complex catalytically accelerates cofilin-dependent actin turnover by releasing cofilin from ADP-actin monomers and enhances the ability of profilin to stimulate nucleotide exchange on ADP-actin. Yeast Aip1 forms a cofilin-dependent filament barbed end cap, disrupted by the cof1-19 mutant. Genetic analyses show that specific combinations of activities mediated by cofilin, Srv2, Aip1, and capping protein are required in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: We define two genetically and biochemically separable functions for cofilin in actin turnover. One is formation of an Aip1-cofilin cap at filament barbed ends. The other is cofilin-mediated severing/depolymerization of filaments, accelerated indirectly by Srv2 complex. We show that the Srv2 complex is a large multimeric structure and functions as an intermediate in actin monomer processing, converting cofilin bound ADP-actin monomers to profilin bound ATP-actin monomers and recycling cofilin for new rounds of filament depolymerization.     

A genetic dissection of Aip1p's interactions leads to a model for Aip1p-cofilin cooperative activities

Actin interacting protein 1 (Aip1p) and cofilin cooperate to disassemble actin filaments in vitro and are thought to promote rapid turnover of actin networks in vivo. The precise method by which Aip1p participates in these activities has not been defined, although severing and barbed-end capping of actin filaments have been proposed. To better describe the mechanisms and biological consequences of Aip1p activities, we undertook an extensive mutagenesis of AIP1 aimed at disrupting and mapping Aip1p interactions. Site-directed mutagenesis suggested that Aip1p has two actin binding sites, the primary actin binding site lies on the edge of its N-terminal beta-propeller and a secondary actin binding site lies in a comparable location on its C-terminal beta-propeller. Random mutagenesis followed by screening for separation of function mutants led to the identification of several mutants specifically defective for interacting with cofilin but still able to interact with actin. These mutants suggested that cofilin binds across the cleft between the two propeller domains, leaving the actin binding sites exposed and flanking the cofilin binding site. Biochemical, genetic, and cell biological analyses confirmed that the actin binding- and cofilin binding-specific mutants are functionally defective, whereas the genetic analyses further suggested a role for Aip1p in an early, internalization step of endocytosis. A complementary, unbiased molecular modeling approach was used to derive putative structures for the Aip1p-cofilin complex, the most stable of which is completely consistent with the mutagenesis data. We theorize that Aip1p-severing activity may involve simultaneous binding to two actin subunits with cofilin wedged between the two actin binding sites of the N- and C-terminal propeller domains.     

Aip1 and cofilin promote rapid turnover of yeast actin patches and cables: a coordinated mechanism for severing and capping filaments

Rapid turnover of actin structures is required for dynamic remodeling of the cytoskeleton and cell morphogenesis, but the mechanisms driving actin disassembly are poorly defined. Cofilin plays a central role in promoting actin turnover by severing/depolymerizing filaments. Here, we analyze the in vivo function of a ubiquitous actin-interacting protein, Aip1, suggested to work with cofilin. We provide the first demonstration that Aip1 promotes actin turnover in living cells. Further, we reveal an unanticipated role for Aip1 and cofilin in promoting rapid turnover of yeast actin cables, dynamic structures that are decorated and stabilized by tropomyosin. Through systematic mutagenesis of Aip1 surfaces, we identify two well-separated F-actin-binding sites, one of which contributes to actin filament binding and disassembly specifically in the presence of cofilin. We also observe a close correlation between mutations disrupting capping of severed filaments in vitro and reducing rates of actin turnover in vivo. We propose a model for balanced regulation of actin cable turnover, in which Aip1 and cofilin function together to "prune" tropomyosin-decorated cables along their lengths. Consistent with this model, deletion of AIP1 rescues the temperature-sensitive growth and loss of actin cable defects of tpm1Delta mutants.     

Localization of PKA phosphorylation site, Ser(2030), in the three-dimensional structure of cardiac ryanodine receptor

Cofilin regulates actin filament dynamics by stimulating actin filament disassembly and plays a critical role in cytokinesis and chemotactic migration. Aip1 (actin-interacting protein 1), also called WDR1 (WD-repeat protein 1), is a highly conserved WD-repeat protein in eukaryotes and promotes cofilin-mediated actin filament disassembly in vitro; however, little is known about the mechanisms by which Aip1 functions in cytokinesis and cell migration in mammalian cells. In the present study, we investigated the roles of Aip1 in cytokinesis and chemotactic migration of human cells by silencing the expression of Aip1 using siRNA (small interfering RNA). Knockdown of Aip1 in HeLa cells increased the percentage of multinucleate cells; this effect was reversed by expression of an active form of cofilin. In Aip1-knockdown cells, the cleavage furrow ingressed normally from anaphase to early telophase; however, an excessive accumulation of actin filaments was observed on the contractile ring in late telophase. These results suggest that Aip1 plays a crucial role in the completion of cytokinesis by promoting cofilin-mediated actin filament disassembly in telophase. We have also shown that Aip1 knockdown significantly suppressed chemokine-induced chemotactic migration of Jurkat T-lymphoma cells, and this was blocked by expression of an active form of cofilin. Whereas control cells mostly formed a single lamellipodium in response to chemokine stimulation, Aip1 knockdown cells abnormally exhibited multiple protrusions around the cells before and after cell stimulation. This indicates that Aip1 plays an important role in directional cell migration by restricting the stimulus-induced membrane protrusion to one direction via promoting cofilin activity.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Srv2/cyclase-associated protein forms hexameric shurikens that directly catalyze actin filament severing by cofilin

Actin filament severing is critical for the dynamic turnover of cellular actin networks. Cofilin severs filaments, but additional factors may be required to increase severing efficiency in vivo. Srv2/cyclase-associated protein (CAP) is a widely expressed protein with a role in binding and recycling actin monomers ascribed to domains in its C-terminus (C-Srv2). In this paper, we report a new biochemical and cellular function for Srv2/CAP in directly catalyzing cofilin-mediated severing of filaments. This function is mediated by its N-terminal half (N-Srv2), and is physically and genetically separable from C-Srv2 activities. Using dual-color total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we determined that N-Srv2 stimulates filament disassembly by increasing the frequency of cofilin-mediated severing without affecting cofilin binding to filaments. Structural analysis shows that N-Srv2 forms novel hexameric star-shaped structures, and disrupting oligomerization impairs N-Srv2 activities and in vivo function. Further, genetic analysis shows that the combined activities of N-Srv2 and Aip1 are essential in vivo. These observations define a novel mechanism by which the combined activities of cofilin and Srv2/CAP lead to enhanced filament severing and support an emerging view that actin disassembly is controlled not by cofilin alone, but by a more complex set of factors working in concert.     

Aip1 Promotes Actin Filament Severing by Cofilin and Regulates Constriction of the Cytokinetic Contractile Ring

Aip1 (actin interacting protein 1) is ubiquitous in eukaryotic organisms, where it cooperates with cofilin to disassemble actin filaments, but neither its mechanism of action nor its biological functions have been clear. We purified both fission yeast and human Aip1 and investigated their biochemical activities with or without cofilin. Both types of Aip1 bind actin filaments with micromolar affinities and weakly nucleate actin polymerization. Aip1 increases up to 12-fold the rate that high concentrations of yeast or human cofilin sever actin filaments, most likely by competing with cofilin for binding to the side of actin filaments, reducing the occupancy of the filaments by cofilin to a range favorable for severing. Aip1 does not cap the barbed ends of filaments severed by cofilin. Fission yeast lacking Aip1 are viable and assemble cytokinetic contractile rings normally, but rings in these Δaip1 cells accumulate 30% less myosin II. Further, these mutant cells initiate the ingression of cleavage furrows earlier than normal, shortening the stage of cytokinetic ring maturation by 50%. The Δaip1 mutation has negative genetic interactions with deletion mutations of both capping protein subunits and cofilin mutations with severing defects, but no genetic interaction with deletion of coronin.     

Synergies between Aip1p and capping protein subunits (Acp1p and Acp2p) in clathrin-mediated endocytosis and cell polarization in fission yeast

Aip1p cooperates with actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin to disassemble actin filaments in vitro and in vivo, and is proposed to cap actin filament barbed ends. We address the synergies between Aip1p and the capping protein heterodimer Acp1p/Acp2p during clathrin-mediated endocytosis in fission yeast. Using quantitative microscopy and new methods we have developed for data alignment and analysis, we show that heterodimeric capping protein can replace Aip1p, but Aip1p cannot replace capping protein in endocytic patches. Our quantitative analysis reveals that the actin meshwork is organized radially and is compacted by the cross-linker fimbrin before the endocytic vesicle is released from the plasma membrane. Capping protein and Aip1p help maintain the high density of actin filaments in meshwork by keeping actin filaments close enough for cross-linking. Our experiments also reveal new cellular functions for Acp1p and Acp2p independent of their capping activity. We identified two independent pathways that control polarization of endocytic sites, one depending on acp2⁺ and aip1⁺ during interphase and the other independent of acp1⁺, acp2⁺, and aip1⁺ during mitosis.     

The structure of Aip1p,a WD repeat protein that regulates Cofilin-mediated actin depolymerization

Actin-interacting protein 1 (Aip1p) is a 67-kDa WD repeat protein known to regulate the depolymerization of actin filaments by cofilin and is conserved in organisms ranging from yeast to mammals. The crystal structure of Aip1p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was determined to a 2.3-A resolution and a final crystallographic R-factor of 0.204. The structure reveals that the overall fold is formed by two connected seven-bladed beta-propellers and has important implications for the structure of Aip1 from other organisms and WD repeat-containing proteins in general. These results were unexpected because a maximum of 10 WD repeats had been reported in the literature for this protein using sequence data. The surfaces of the beta-propellers formed by the D-A and B-C loops are positioned adjacent to one another, giving Aip1p a shape that resembles an open "clamshell." The mapping of conserved residues to the structure of Aip1p reveals dense patches of conserved residues on the surface of one beta-propeller and at the interface of the two beta-propellers. These two patches of conserved residues suggest a potential binding site for F-actin on Aip1p and that the orientation of the beta-propellers with respect to one another plays a role in binding an actin-cofilin complex. In addition, the conserved interface between the domains is mediated by a number of interactions that appear to impart rigidity between the two domains of Aip1p and may make a large substrate-induced conformational change difficult.     

Loss of Aip1 reveals a role in maintaining the actin monomer pool and an in vivo oligomer assembly pathway

Although actin filaments can form by oligomer annealing in vitro, they are assumed to assemble exclusively from actin monomers in vivo. In this study, we show that a pool of actin resistant to the monomer-sequestering drug latrunculin A (lat A) contributes to filament assembly in vivo. Furthermore, we show that the cofilin accessory protein Aip1 is important for establishment of normal actin monomer concentration in cells and efficiently converts cofilin-generated actin filament disassembly products into monomers and short oligomers in vitro. Additionally, in aip1Δ mutant cells, lat A–insensitive actin assembly is significantly enhanced. We conclude that actin oligomer annealing is a physiologically relevant actin filament assembly pathway in vivo and identify Aip1 as a crucial factor for shifting the distribution of short actin oligomers toward monomers during disassembly.     

Rapid actin monomer-insensitive depolymerization of Listeria actin comet tails by cofilin, coronin, and Aip1

Actin filaments in cells depolymerize rapidly despite the presence of high concentrations of polymerizable G actin. Cofilin is recognized as a key regulator that promotes actin depolymerization. In this study, we show that although pure cofilin can disassemble Listeria monocytogenes actin comet tails, it cannot efficiently disassemble comet tails in the presence of polymerizable actin. Thymus extracts also rapidly disassemble comet tails, and this reaction is more efficient than pure cofilin when normalized to cofilin concentration. By biochemical fractionation, we identify Aip1 and coronin as two proteins present in thymus extract that facilitate the cofilin-mediated disassembly of Listeria comet tails. Together, coronin and Aip1 lower the amount of cofilin required to disassemble the comet tail and permit even low concentrations of cofilin to depolymerize actin in the presence of polymerizable G actin. The cooperative activities of cofilin, coronin, and Aip1 should provide a biochemical basis for understanding how actin filaments can grow in some places in the cell while shrinking in others.     

Structure of the actin-depolymerizing factor homology domain in complex with actin

Actin dynamics provide the driving force for many cellular processes including motility and endocytosis. Among the central cytoskeletal regulators are actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin, which depolymerizes actin filaments, and twinfilin, which sequesters actin monomers and caps filament barbed ends. Both interact with actin through an ADF homology (ADF-H) domain, which is also found in several other actin-binding proteins. However, in the absence of an atomic structure for the ADF-H domain in complex with actin, the mechanism by which these proteins interact with actin has remained unknown. Here, we present the crystal structure of twinfilin's C-terminal ADF-H domain in complex with an actin monomer. This domain binds between actin subdomains 1 and 3 through an interface that is conserved among ADF-H domain proteins. Based on this structure, we suggest a mechanism by which ADF/cofilin and twinfilin inhibit nucleotide exchange of actin monomers and present a model for how ADF/cofilin induces filament depolymerization by weakening intrafilament interactions.     

Regulation of actin filament dynamics by actin depolymerizing factor/cofilin and actin-interacting protein 1: new blades for twisted filaments

Actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin enhances turnover of actin filaments by severing and depolymerizing filaments. A number of proteins functionally interact with ADF/cofilin to modulate the dynamics of actin filaments. Actin-interacting protein 1 (AIP1) has emerged as a conserved WD-repeat protein that specifically enhances ADF/cofilin-induced actin dynamics. Interaction of AIP1 with actin was originally characterized by a yeast two-hybrid system. However, biochemical studies revealed its unique activity on ADF/cofilin-bound actin filaments. AIP1 alone has negligible effects on actin filament dynamics, whereas in the presence of ADF/cofilin, AIP1 enhances filament fragmentation by capping ends of severed filaments. Studies in model organisms demonstrated that AIP1 genetically interacts with ADF/cofilin and participates in several actin-dependent cellular events. The crystal structure of AIP1 revealed its unique structure with two seven-bladed beta-propeller domains. Thus, AIP1 is a new class of actin regulatory proteins that selectively enhances ADF/cofilin-dependent actin filament dynamics.     

Microscopic evidence that actin-interacting protein 1 actively disassembles actin-depolymerizing factor/Cofilin-bound actin filaments

Actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin and gelsolin are the two major factors to enhance actin filament disassembly. Actin-interacting protein 1 (AIP1) enhances fragmentation of ADF/cofilin-bound filaments and caps the barbed ends. However, the mechanism by which AIP1 disassembles ADF/cofilin-bound filaments is not clearly understood. Here, we directly observed the effects of these proteins on filamentous actin by fluorescence microscopy and gained novel insight into the function of ADF/cofilin and AIP1. ADF/cofilin severed filaments and AIP1 strongly enhanced disassembly at nanomolar concentrations. However, gelsolin, gelsolin-actin complex, or cytochalasin D did not enhance disassembly by ADF/cofilin, suggesting that the strong activity of AIP1 cannot be explained by simple barbed end capping. Barbed end capping by ADF/cofilin and AIP1 was weak and allowed filament elongation, whereas gelsolin or gelsolin-actin complex strongly capped and inhibited elongation. These results suggest that AIP has an active role in filament severing or depolymerization and that ADF/cofilin and AIP1 are distinct from gelsolin in modulating filament elongation.     

Stochastic severing of actin filaments by actin depolymerizing factor/cofilin controls the emergence of a steady dynamical regime

Actin dynamics (i.e., polymerization/depolymerization) powers a large number of cellular processes. However, a great deal remains to be learned to explain the rapid actin filament turnover observed in vivo. Here, we developed a minimal kinetic model that describes key details of actin filament dynamics in the presence of actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin. We limited the molecular mechanism to 1), the spontaneous growth of filaments by polymerization of actin monomers, 2), the ageing of actin subunits in filaments, 3), the cooperative binding of ADF/cofilin to actin filament subunits, and 4), filament severing by ADF/cofilin. First, from numerical simulations and mathematical analysis, we found that the average filament length, 〈L〉, is controlled by the concentration of actin monomers (power law: 5/6) and ADF/cofilin (power law: −2/3). We also showed that the average subunit residence time inside the filament, 〈T〉, depends on the actin monomer (power law: −1/6) and ADF/cofilin (power law: −2/3) concentrations. In addition, filament length fluctuations are ∼20% of the average filament length. Moreover, ADF/cofilin fragmentation while modulating filament length keeps filaments in a high molar ratio of ATP- or ADP-P_i versus ADP-bound subunits. This latter property has a protective effect against a too high severing activity of ADF/cofilin. We propose that the activity of ADF/cofilin in vivo is under the control of an affinity gradient that builds up dynamically along growing actin filaments. Our analysis shows that ADF/cofilin regulation maintains actin filaments in a highly dynamical state compatible with the cytoskeleton dynamics observed in vivo.     

Cofilin-linked changes in actin filament flexibility promote severing

The actin regulatory protein, cofilin, increases the bending and twisting elasticity of actin filaments and severs them. It has been proposed that filaments partially decorated with cofilin accumulate stress from thermally driven shape fluctuations at bare (stiff) and decorated (compliant) boundaries, thereby promoting severing. This mechanics-based severing model predicts that changes in actin filament compliance due to cofilin binding affect severing activity. Here, we test this prediction by evaluating how the severing activities of vertebrate and yeast cofilactin scale with the flexural rigidities determined from analysis of shape fluctuations. Yeast actin filaments are more compliant in bending than vertebrate actin filaments. Severing activities of cofilactin isoforms correlate with changes in filament flexibility. Vertebrate cofilin binds but does not increase the yeast actin filament flexibility, and does not sever them. Imaging of filament thermal fluctuations reveals that severing events are associated with local bending and fragmentation when deformations attain a critical angle. The critical severing angle at boundaries between bare and cofilin-decorated segments is smaller than in bare or fully decorated filaments. These measurements support a cofilin-severing mechanism in which mechanical asymmetry promotes local stress accumulation and fragmentation at boundaries of bare and cofilin-decorated segments, analogous to failure of some nonprotein materials.     

Interactions of ADF/cofilin, Arp2/3 complex, capping protein and profilin in remodeling of branched actin filament networks

BACKGROUND: Cellular movements are powered by the assembly and disassembly of actin filaments. Actin dynamics are controlled by Arp2/3 complex, the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) and the related Scar protein, capping protein, profilin, and the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF, also known as cofilin). Recently, using an assay that both reveals the kinetics of overall reactions and allows visualization of actin filaments, we showed how these proteins co-operate in the assembly of branched actin filament networks. Here, we investigated how they work together to disassemble the networks. RESULTS: Actin filament branches formed by polymerization of ATP-actin in the presence of activated Arp2/3 complex were found to be metastable, dissociating from the mother filament with a half time of 500 seconds. The ADF/cofilin protein actophorin reduced the half time for both dissociation of gamma-phosphate from ADP-Pi-actin filaments and debranching to 30 seconds. Branches were stabilized by phalloidin, which inhibits phosphate dissociation from ADP-Pi-filaments, and by BeF3, which forms a stable complex with ADP and actin. Arp2/3 complex capped pointed ends of ATP-actin filaments with higher affinity (Kd approximately 40 nM) than those of ADP-actin filaments (Kd approximately 1 microM), explaining why phosphate dissociation from ADP-Pi-filaments liberates branches. Capping protein prevented annealing of short filaments after debranching and, with profilin, allowed filaments to depolymerize at the pointed ends. CONCLUSIONS: The low affinity of Arp2/3 complex for the pointed ends of ADP-actin makes actin filament branches transient. By accelerating phosphate dissociation, ADF/cofilin promotes debranching. Barbed-end capping proteins and profilin allow dissociated branches to depolymerize from their free pointed ends.     

Cofilin tunes the nucleotide state of actin filaments and severs at bare and decorated segment boundaries

Actin-based motility demands the spatial and temporal coordination of numerous regulatory actin-binding proteins (ABPs), many of which bind with affinities that depend on the nucleotide state of actin filament. Cofilin, one of three ABPs that precisely choreograph actin assembly and organization into comet tails that drive motility in vitro, binds and stochastically severs aged ADP actin filament segments of de novo growing actin filaments. Deficiencies in methodologies to track in real time the nucleotide state of actin filaments, as well as cofilin severing, limit the molecular understanding of coupling between actin filament chemical and mechanical states and severing. We engineered a fluorescently labeled cofilin that retains actin filament binding and severing activities. Because cofilin binding depends strongly on the actin-bound nucleotide, direct visualization of fluorescent cofilin binding serves as a marker of the actin filament nucleotide state during assembly. Bound cofilin allosterically accelerates P(i) release from unoccupied filament subunits, which shortens the filament ATP/ADP-P(i) cap length by nearly an order of magnitude. Real-time visualization of filament severing indicates that fragmentation scales with and occurs preferentially at boundaries between bare and cofilin-decorated filament segments, thereby controlling the overall filament length, depending on cofilin binding density.     

Cofilin Changes the Twist of F-Actin: Implications for Actin Filament Dynamics and Cellular Function

Cofilin is an actin depolymerizing protein found widely distributed in animals and plants. We have used electron cryomicroscopy and helical reconstruction to identify its binding site on actin filaments. Cofilin binds filamentous (F)-actin cooperatively by bridging two longitudinally associated actin subunits. The binding site is centered axially at subdomain 2 of the lower actin subunit and radially at the cleft between subdomains 1 and 3 of the upper actin subunit. Our work has revealed a totally unexpected (and unique) property of cofilin, namely, its ability to change filament twist. As a consequence of this change in twist, filaments decorated with cofilin have much shorter ‘actin crossovers' (~75% of those normally observed in F-actin structures). Although their binding sites are distinct, cofilin and phalloidin do not bind simultaneously to F-actin. This is the first demonstration of a protein that excludes another actin-binding molecule by changing filament twist. Alteration of F-actin structure by cofilin/ADF appears to be a novel mechanism through which the actin cytoskeleton may be regulated or remodeled.     

Cofilin increases the torsional flexibility and dynamics of actin filaments

We have measured the effects of cofilin on the conformation and dynamics of actin filaments labeled at Cys374 with erythrosin-iodoacetemide (ErIA), using time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy (TPA). Cofilin quenches the phosphorescence intensity of actin-bound ErIA, indicating that binding changes the local environment of the probe. The cofilin concentration-dependence of the phosphorescence intensity is sigmoidal, consistent with cooperative actin filament binding. Model-independent analysis of the anisotropies indicates that cofilin increases the rates of the microsecond rotational motions of actin. In contrast to the reduction in phosphorescence intensity, the changes in the rates of rotational motions display non-nearest-neighbor cooperative interactions and saturate at substoichiometric cofilin binding densities. Detailed analysis of the TPA decays indicates that cofilin decreases the torsional rigidity (C) of actin, increasing the thermally driven root-mean-square torsional angle between adjacent filament subunits from approximately 4 degrees (C = 2.30 x 10(-27) Nm2 radian(-1)) to approximately 17 degrees (C = 0.13 x 10(-27) Nm2 radian(-1)) at 25 degrees C. We favor a mechanism in which cofilin binding shifts the equilibrium between thermal ErIA-actin filament conformers, and facilitates two distinct structural changes in actin. One is local in nature, which affects the structure of actin's C terminus and is likely to mediate nearest-neighbor cooperative binding and filament severing. The second is a change in the internal dynamics of actin, which displays non-nearest-neighbor cooperativity and increases the torsional flexibility of filaments. The long-range effects of cofilin on the torsional dynamics of actin may accelerate P(i) release from filaments and modulate interactions with other regulatory actin filament binding proteins.