Actin-Binding Proteins in Plant Cells

Abstract: Actinoccurs in all plant cells, as monomers, filaments and filament assemblies. In interphase, actin filaments form a cortical network, co-align with cortical microtubules, and extend throughout the cytoplasm functioning in cytoplasmic streaming. During mitosis, they co-align with microtubules in the preprophase band and phragmoplast and are indispensa ble for cell division. Actin filaments continually polymerise and depolymerise from a pool of monomers, and signal transduction pathways affecting cell morphogenesis modify the actin cytoskeleton. The interactions of actin monomers and filaments with actin-binding proteins (ABP5) control actin dynamics. By binding to actin monomers, ABPs, such as profilin, regulate the pool of monomers available for polymerisation. By breaking filaments or capping filament ends, ABPs, such as actin depoly-merising factor (ADF), prevent actin filament elongation or loss of monomers from filament ends. By bivalent cross-linking to actin filaments, ABPs, such as fimbrin and other members of the spectrin family, produce a variety of higher order assemblies, from bundles to networks. The motor protein ABPs,. which are not covered in this review, move organelles along ac tin filaments. The large variety of ABPs share a number of functional modules. A plant representative of ABPs with particular modules, and therefore particular functions, is treated in this review.     

Nuclear localization of profilin during the cell cycle in Tradescantia virginiana stamen hair cells

Summary. The localization of the actin-monomer-binding protein profilin during the cell cycle of living Tradescantia virginiana stamen hair cells has been studied by microinjection of a fluorescently labeled analog of the protein. In contrast to previously published studies performed on chemically fixed animal cells, we do not find a specific colocalization of profilin with actin filament arrays. Our results show that, besides a general cytoplasmic distribution, profilin specifically accumulates in the nucleus in interphase and prophase cells. This nuclear localization was confirmed by means of electron microscopic immunolocalization of endogenous profilin (in Gibasis scheldiana stamen hair cells). During mitosis, as the nuclear envelope and nuclear matrix break down at the onset of prometaphase, the nuclear profilin redistributes equally into the accessible volume (cytosol) of the cell. During metaphase and anaphase no specific localization of profilin can be observed associated with the mitotic apparatus. However, during telophase, as nuclear envelopes and nuclear matrices re-form and the sister chromatids start to decondense, a subset of the microinjected profilin again localizes to the nucleus. No accumulation of profilin could be observed in the phragmoplast, where a distinct array of actin filaments exists. The function of profilin in the nucleus remains unclear.Correspondence and reprints: Department of Biology, 221 Morrill Science Center II, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, U.S.A.Received September 30, 2002; accepted February 12, 2003 Published online September 23, 2003     

Distribution of profilin in fibroblasts correlates with the presence of highly dynamic actin filaments.

We have used polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies raised against calf thymus profilin to localize the corresponding protein in translocating, spreading, and stationary rat fibroblasts. Immunofluorescence of whole cells and immunogold labeling on ventral membranes of lysis-squirted cells showed that profilin was markedly enriched in the highly dynamic lamellipodia or pseudopodial lobes. Within these regions, a significant fraction was colocalized with dynamic actin filaments organized in actin ribs, cortical filaments, or stress fiber-like bundles, and little profilin was found in membrane areas appearing free of actin. In contrast, stress fibers of stationary cells as well as actin arcs and ring-like bundles of spreading and migrating cells showed very little label. These results are discussed in context with the proposed role of profilin in regional membrane dynamics typical for fibroblasts and are compared to previous data (Hartwig et al.: J. Cell Biol. 109:1571-1579, 1989) on profilin distribution in platelets and granulocytes.     

Rearrangements of F-actin during Stomatogenesis Visualised by Confocal Microscopy in Fixed and Permeabilised Tradescantia Leaf Epidermis

Abstract: New details of F-actin organisation in leaf epidermal and stomatal cells were revealed by rhodamine — and fluorescein — phalloidin staining of fixed epidermal peels of Tradescantia virginiana and visualisation by confocal microscopy. Non-specialised epidermal cells contain highly organised arrays of fine cortical actin filaments aligned in transverse or oblique orientations. In interphase guard mother cells (GMCs), the arrangement of cortical F-actin changes on the periclinal and anticlinal cell walls at different times during differentiation. Initially, cortical F-actin on the periclinal surfaces is oriented transversely and F-actin is evenly distributed around the anticlinal walls. Following polarisation of the adjacent subsidiary mother cells (SMCs), actin in GMCs concentrates on the lateral anticlinal walls, but not on the transverse walls. Subsequently, F-actin on the periclinal walls reorients to radial and then longitudinal. Organisation of F-actin in SMCs appears to be influenced by the adjacent GMCs and co-ordination in F-actin arrangements in cells of the stomatal complex continues through to the formation of the guard cell pair. Our studies indicate that actin bands marking the division site in prophase cells, and detected in microinjected living material, are a particularly labile subset of F-actin. Actin bands were difficult to preserve, even when aldehyde fixation was avoided, in contrast to all interphase and mitotic F-actin.     

Synthetic lipid (DOPG) vesicles accumulate in the cell plate region but do not fuse

The cell plate is the new cell wall, with bordering plasma membrane, that is formed between two daughter cells in plants, and it is formed by fusion of vesicles (approximately 60 nm). To start to determine physical properties of cell plate forming vesicles for their transport through the phragmoplast, and fusion with each other, we microinjected fluorescent synthetic lipid vesicles that were made of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] (DOPG) into Tradescantia virginiana stamen hair cells. During interphase, the 60-nm wide DOPG vesicles moved inside the cytoplasm comparably to organelles. During cytokinesis, they were transported through the phragmoplast and accumulated in the cell plate region together with the endogenous vesicles, even inside the central cell plate region. Because at this stage microtubules are virtually absent from that region, while actin filaments are present, actin filaments may have a role in the transport of vesicles toward the cell plate. Unlike the endogenous vesicles, the synthetic DOPG vesicles did not fuse with the developing cell plate. Instead, they redistributed into the cytoplasm of the daughter cells upon completion of cytokinesis. Because the redistribution of the vesicles occurs when actin filaments disappear from the phragmoplast, actin filaments may be involved in keeping the vesicles inside the developing cell plate region.     

Mechanism of the formation of contractile ring in dividing cultured animal cells. II. Cortical movement of microinjected actin filaments

The contractile ring in dividing animal cells is formed primarily through the reorganization of existing actin filaments (Cao, L.-G., and Y.-L. Wang. 1990. J. Cell Biol. 110:1089-1096), but it is not clear whether the process involves a random recruitment of diffusible actin filaments from the cytoplasm, or a directional movement of cortically associated filaments toward the equator. We have studied this question by observing the distribution of actin filaments that have been labeled with fluorescent phalloidin and microinjected into dividing normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. The labeled filaments are present primarily in the cytoplasm during prometaphase and early metaphase, but become associated extensively with the cell cortex 10-15 min before the onset of anaphase. This process is manifested both as an increase in cortical fluorescence intensity and as movements of discrete aggregates of actin filaments toward the cortex. The concentration of actin fluorescence in the equatorial region, accompanied by a decrease of fluorescence in polar regions, is detected 2-3 min after the onset of anaphase. By directly tracing the distribution of aggregates of labeled actin filaments, we are able to detect, during anaphase and telophase, movements of cortical actin filaments toward the equator at an average rate of 1.0 micron/min. Our results, combined with previous observations, suggest that the organization of actin filaments during cytokinesis probably involves an association of cytoplasmic filaments with the cortex, a movement of cortical filaments toward the cleavage furrow, and a dissociation of filaments from the equatorial cortex.     

Microinjection of pollen‐specific actin‐depolymerizing factor, ZmADF1, reorientates F‐actin strands in Tradescantia stamen hair cells

Maize actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) binds both monomeric and filamentous actin and increases actin dynamics in vitro. To test its effects in vivo, recombinant pollen ADF1 was expressed in bacteria and microinjected into Tradescantia stamen hair cells. Initially, all cytoplasmic streaming ceased and the central, longitudinal transvacuolar strands were disrupted. After 20–45 min, streaming resumed but in the form of conspicuous transverse pathways of movement in the cortex. Staining the actin filaments by a second injection of fluorescein-conjugated phalloidin showed that the longitudinal actin cables seen in controls had been replaced by a thickening of the transverse cortical arrays, whose orientation matched the new pattern of streaming. Microinjection of rhodamine–tubulin confirmed that the microtubules also formed a transverse cortical array and it is suggested that the spatial cues for re-modelling the actin after ADF1 injection may be provided by the microtubular system.     

Mechanism of the formation of contractile ring in dividing cultured animal cells. I. Recruitment of preexisting actin filaments into the cleavage furrow

Cytokinesis of animal cells involves the formation of the circumferential actin filament bundle (contractile ring) along the equatorial plane. To analyze the assembly mechanism of the contractile ring, we microinjected a small amount of rhodamine-labeled phalloidin (rh-pha) or rhodamine-labeled actin (rh-actin) into dividing normal rat kidney cells. rh-pha was microinjected during prometaphase or metaphase to label actin filaments that were present at that stage. As mitosis proceeded into anaphase, the labeled filaments became associated with the cortex of the cell. During cytokinesis, rh-pha was depleted from polar regions and became highly concentrated into the equatorial region. The distribution of total actin filaments, as revealed by staining the whole cell with fluorescein phalloidin, showed a much less pronounced difference between the polar and the equatorial regions. The sites of de novo assembly of actin filaments during the formation of the contractile ring were determined by microinjecting rh-actin shortly before cytokinesis, and then extracting and fixing the cell during mid-cytokinesis. Injected rhodamine actin was only slightly concentrated in the contractile ring, as compared to the distribution of total actin filaments. Our results indicate that preexisting actin filaments, probably through movement and reorganization, are used preferentially for the formation of the contractile ring. De novo assembly of filaments, on the other hand, appears to take place preferentially outside the cleavage furrow.     

Rho1 directs formin-mediated actin ring assembly during budding yeast cytokinesis

In eukaryotic cells, dynamic rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton is critical for cell division. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, three main structures constitute the actin cytoskeleton: cortical actin patches, cytoplasmic actin cables, and the actin-based cytokinetic ring. The conserved Arp2/3 complex and a WASP-family protein mediate actin patch formation, whereas the yeast formins (Bni1 and Bnr1) promote assembly of actin cables. However, the mechanism of actin ring formation is currently unclear. Here, we show that actin filaments are required for cytokinesis in S. cerevisiae, and that the actin ring is a highly dynamic structure that undergoes constant turnover. Assembly of the actin ring requires the formin-like proteins and profilin, but is not Arp2/3-mediated. Furthermore, the formin-dependent actin ring assembly pathway is regulated by the Rho-type GTPase Rho1 but not Cdc42. Finally, we show that the formins are not required for localization of Cyk1/Iqg1, an IQGAP-like protein previously shown to be required for actin ring formation, suggesting that formin-like proteins and Cyk1 act synergistically but independently in assembly of the actin ring.     

Possible involvement of protein phosphorylation in the regulation of cytoplasmic organization and streaming in root hair cells as revealed by a protein phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A

Summary The effects of a protein phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A (CA), on cytoplasmic streaming and cytoplasmic organization were examined in root hair cells ofLimnobium stoloniferum. CA at concentrations higher than 50 nM inhibited cytoplasmic streaming and also induced remarkable morphological changes in the cytoplasm. The transvacuolar strands, in which actin filament bundles were oriented parallel to the long axis, disappeared and spherical cytoplasmic bodies emerged in the CA-treated cells. In these spherical bodies, actin filaments were present and the spherical bodies were connected to each other by thin strands of actin filaments. Upon CA removal, transvacuolar strands, in which actin filament bundles were aligned, and cytoplasmic streaming reappeared. A nonselective inhibitor for protein kinases, K-252a, delayed the inhibitory effect of CA on cytoplasmic streaming and suppressed the CA-induced formation of the spherical bodies. From these results, it is suggested that phosphatases sensitive to CA regulate cytoplasmic streaming and are involved in the organization of the cytoplasm in root hair cells.Abbreviations APW artificial pond water - CA calyculin A     

Effects of the phosphatase inhibitors,okadaic acid,ATPgammaS, and calyculin A on the dividing sand dollar egg

The effects of the phosphatase inhibitors, okadaic acid (OA), adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATPgammaS), and calyculin A (CL-A) on anaphase chromosome movement, cytokinesis, and cytoskeletal structures at cell division were examined by being microinjected into mitotic sand dollar eggs. When OA was injected, chromosome movement was inhibited and, moreover, chromosomes were ejected from the polar regions of the mitotic apparatus. By immunofluorescence, microtubules were observed to be severed in the OA-injected eggs, causing the smooth cell surface to be changed to an irregular surface. When ATPgammaS and CL-A were injected, the effect on cell shape was remarkable: In dividing eggs, furrowing stopped within several seconds after injection, small blebs appeared on the cell surface and became large, spherical or dumbbell cell shapes then changed to irregular forms, and subsequently cytoplasmic flow occurred. Microfilament detection revealed that actin accumulation in the cortex, which was not limited to the furrow cortex, occurred shortly after injection. Cortical accumulation of actin is thought to induce force generation and random cortical contraction, and accordingly to result in bleb extrusion from the cortex. Consequently, the phosphatase inhibitors inhibited the transition from mitosis to interphase by mediating cortical accumulation of actin filaments and/or fragmentation of microtubules.     

Pollen profilin function depends on interaction with proline-rich motifs.

The actin binding protein profilin has dramatic effects on actin polymerization in vitro and in living cells. Plants have large multigene families encoding profilins, and many cells or tissues can express multiple profilin isoforms. Recently, we characterized several profilin isoforms from maize pollen for their ability to alter cytoarchitecture when microinjected into living plant cells and for their association with poly-L-proline and monomeric actin from maize pollen. In this study, we characterize a new profilin isoform from maize, which has been designated ZmPRO4, that is expressed predominantly in endosperm but is also found at low levels in all tissues examined, including mature and germinated pollen. The affinity of ZmPRO4 for monomeric actin, which was measured by two independent methods, is similar to that of the three profilin isoforms previously identified in pollen. In contrast, the affinity of ZmPRO4 for poly-L-proline is nearly twofold higher than that of native pollen profilin and the other recombinant profilin isoforms. When ZmPRO4 was microinjected into plant cells, the effect on actin-dependent nuclear position was significantly more rapid than that of another pollen profilin isoform, ZmPRO1. A gain-of-function mutant (ZmPRO1-Y6F) was created and found to enhance poly-L-proline binding activity and to disrupt cytoarchitecture as effectively as ZmPRO4. In this study, we demonstrate that profilin isoforms expressed in a single cell can have different effects on actin in living cells and that the poly-L-proline binding function of profilin may have important consequences for the regulation of actin cytoskeletal dynamics in plant cells.     

Actin-filament-dependent remodeling of the vacuole in cultured mesophyll protoplasts

Summary. The ability of plant cells to dedifferentiate represents an important survival strategy invoked in a range of situations from repair mechanisms following wounding to apomixis. Dedifferentiation requires that somatic cells reprogram and enter the cell division cycle. This in turn necessitates the accurate partitioning of nuclear content and organelles, such as chloroplasts, to daughter cells, thereby ensuring continuity of cellular information systems. The distribution of cytoplasm and its organelle content in mature plant cells is governed by a large, central vacuole, with connections between distant cortical and perinuclear cytoplasmic domains mediated by transvacuolar strands. Here we examined the changes to vacuolar architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts expressing a green-fluorescent protein fusion to a δ-tonoplast-intrinsic protein (δTIP). We found that vacuolar architecture became increasingly intricate during protoplast culture with the development of numerous transvacuolar strands. The development of an intricate vacuolar architecture was an actin filament- and not microtubule-dependent process, as is the case in interphase plant cells. Furthermore, we show that myosin is required for this increased complexity of vacuolar architecture and the formation of subcortical actin filament arrays. Despite the likelihood that increased vacuolar invagination would allow better redistribution of cytoplasmic organelles, we found that repositioning of chloroplasts from cortical to perinuclear cytoplasm was not dependent on transvacuolar strands. Our findings indicate that the vacuole is a dynamic entity that develops a complex architecture before dedifferentiating plant cells enter cell division. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at Correspondence and reprints: School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.     

Microinjection of profilins from different sources into the green algaMicrasterias causes transient inhibition of cell growth

Summary Recombinant profilins from different sources (Betula verrucosa, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Acanthamoeba castellani, or man) cause marked effects on cell growth and morphogenesis when microinjected into growing cells of the green algaMicrasterias denticulata. Whereas control injections with -lactoglobulin only result in a slight delay of cell growth, when profilin is injected cell differentiation ceases and only resumes about 1 to 2 h after the injection, depending on the dose. The resulting cell does not show any malformations, but is reduced in size and retarded in differentiation compared to controls. As a consequence of the profilin microinjection the pattern of cytoplasmic streaming and cytoplasmic structure are also altered. Gelsolin, injected for comparison, leads to minor retardation of cell development but produces less marked effects than profilin. Microinjection of fluorescently labeled profilin shows even distribution throughout the cytoplasm and more intense fluorescence in the nucleus. Electron microscopical investigations of cells fixed immediately after profilin injection show a normal distribution of dictyosomes, ER cisternae, microtubules, and secretory vesicles compared to noninjected controls at the same developmental stage. Our results indicate that disturbance of the natural actin turnover by the injection of actin-binding proteins strongly affects development ofMicrasterias, corroborating a key role of actin in the morphogenetic process.     

Profilin is essential for tip growth in the moss Physcomitrella patens

The actin cytoskeleton is critical for tip growth in plants. Profilin is the main monomer actin binding protein in plant cells. The moss Physcomitrella patens has three profilin genes, which are monophyletic, suggesting a single ancestor for plant profilins. Here, we used RNA interference (RNAi) to determine the loss-of-function phenotype of profilin. Reduction of profilin leads to a complete loss of tip growth and a partial inhibition of cell division, resulting in plants with small rounded cells and fewer cells. We silenced all profilins by targeting their 3' untranslated region sequences, enabling complementation analyses by expression of profilin coding sequences. We show that any moss or a lily (Lilium longiflorum) profilin support tip growth. Profilin with a mutation in its actin binding site is unable to rescue profilin RNAi, while a mutation in the poly-l-proline binding site weakly rescues. We show that moss tip growing cells contain a prominent subapical cortical F-actin structure composed of parallel actin cables. Cells lacking profilin lose this structure; instead, their F-actin is disorganized and forms polarized cortical patches. Plants expressing the actin and poly-l-proline binding mutants exhibited similar F-actin disorganization. These results demonstrate that profilin and its binding to actin are essential for tip growth. Additionally, profilin is not needed for formation of F-actin, but profilin and its interactions with actin and poly-l-proline ligands are required to properly organize F-actin.     

Tetrahymena profilin is localized in the division furrow.

Localization of Tetrahymena profilin was examined by an immunofluorescence method. In interphase Tetrahymena cells, immunofluorescence for profilin was diffusely distributed in the cytoplasm, while in dividing cells, additional intense fluorescence was observed in the division furrow. From the result of immunofluorescence localization using cytoskeletal cell models, a significant fraction of profilin appeared to become insoluble in association with a cytoskeletal structure just beneath the division furrow during cytokinesis, although remaining profilin existed as a soluble form in the cytoplasm. Double immunofluorescence staining with anti-profilin and anti-actin antibodies revealed that the localization of profilin in the division furrow coincided with that of contractile ring microfilaments in terms of both position and timing. This is the first report describing the coexistence of profilin with actin filaments in the division furrow, implying the possible involvement of profilin in assembly and disassembly of contractile ring microfilaments in the process of cytokinesis.     

Sites of actin filament initiation and reorganization in cold-treated tobacco cells

Cytoskeletal proteins assemble into dynamic polymers that play many roles in nuclear and cell division, signal transduction, and determination of cell shape and polarity. The distribution and dynamics of microtubules (MTs) and actin filaments (AFs) are determined, among other factors, by the location of their nucleation sites. Whereas the sites of microtubule nucleation in plants are known to be located under the plasma membrane and on the nuclear envelope during interphase, there is a striking lack of information about nucleation sites of AFs. In the studies reported herein, low temperature (0 °C) was used to de‐polymerize AFs and MTs in tobacco BY‐2 (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cells at interphase. The extent of de‐polymerization of cytoskeletal filaments in interphase cells during cold treatment and the subcellular distribution of nucleation sites during subsequent recovery at 25 °C were monitored by means of fluorescence microscopy. The results show that AFs re‐polymerized rapidly from sites located in the cortical region and on the nuclear envelope, similarly to the initiation sites of MTs. In contrast to MTs, however, complete reconstitution of AFs was preceded by the formation of transient actin structures including actin dots, rods, and filaments with a dotted signal. Immunoblotting of soluble and sedimentable protein fractions showed no changes in the relative amounts of free and membrane‐bound actin or tubulin.     

Caffeine inhibition of cytokinesis: effect on the phragmoplast cytoskeleton in livingTradescantia stamen hair cells

Summary The distribution of microtubules and actin microfilaments during caffeine-induced inhibition of cell plate formation has been studied in livingTradescantia stamen hair cells. Previous studies have shown that caffeine allows cell plate initiation but prevents its completion, resulting in binucleate cells. In the present study, confocal microscopy of cells microinjected with fluorescent brain tubulin or phalloidin, and cultured in the presence 5 mM caffeine, revealed that the initiation and early lateral expansion phase of the phragmoplast occur normally. However, caffeine completely inhibits the formation of the cytoskeletal torus which occurs in untreated cells during the late stages of cell plate and phragmoplast expansion. Caffeine further causes the disintegration of the incomplete cell plate. The results allow us to distinguish two phases in cell plate and phragmoplast growth: the initiation and early expansion phase, which is not affected by caffeine, and the late lateral expansion phase, which is completely inhibited in the presence of caffeine. Also in this study, the use of a high phalloidin concentration has revealed structural detail about the actin microfilaments involved in cell plate formation: microfilaments are observed that link the expanding edge of the phragmoplast with the cortical division site. In addition, cortical actin patches are observed within the actin depleted zone that might play a role in guidance of phragmoplast and cell plate expansion.     

Fluorescent actin analogs with a high affinity for profilin in vitro exhibit an enhanced gradient of assembly in living cells

Constitutive centripetal transport of the actin-based cytoskeleton has been detected in cells spreading on a substrate, locomoting fibroblasts and keratocytes, and non-locomoting serum-deprived fibroblasts. These results suggest a gradient of actin assembly, highest in the cortex at the cytoplasm-membrane interface and lowest in the non-cortical perinuclear cytoplasm. We predicted that such a gradient would be maintained in part by phosphoinositide-regulated actin binding proteins because the intracellular free Ca2+ and pH are low and spatially constant in serum-deprived cells. The cytoplasm-membrane interface presents one surface where the assembly of actin is differentially regulated relative to the non-cortical cytoplasm. Several models, based on in vitro biochemistry, propose that phosphoinositide-regulated actin binding proteins are involved in local actin assembly. To test these models in living cells using imaging techniques, we prepared a new fluorescent analog of actin that bound profilin, a protein that interacts with phosphoinositides and actin-monomers in a mutually exclusive manner, with an order of magnitude greater affinity (Kd = 3.6 microM) than cys-374-labeled actin (Kd > 30 microM), yet retained the ability to inhibit DNase I. Hence, we were able to directly compare the distribution and activity of a biochemical mutant of actin with an analog possessing closer to wild-type activity. Three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy of the fluorescent analog of actin with a high affinity for profilin revealed that it incorporated into cortical cytoplasmic fibers and was also distributed diffusely in the non- cortical cytoplasm consistent with a bias of actin assembly near the surface of the cell. Fluorescence ratio imaging revealed that serum- deprived and migrating fibroblasts concentrated the new actin analog into fibers up to four-fold in the periphery and leading edge of these cells, respectively, relative to a soluble fluorescent dextran volume marker, consistent with the formation of a gradient of actin filament density relative to cell volume. Comparison of these gradients in the same living cell using analogs of actin with high and low affinities for profilin demonstrated that increased profilin binding enhanced the gradient. Profilin and related proteins may therefore function in part to bias the assembly of actin at the membrane-cytoplasm interface.