Tension is required but not sufficient for focal adhesion maturation without a stress fiber template

Focal adhesion composition and size are modulated in a myosin II-dependent maturation process that controls adhesion, migration, and matrix remodeling. As myosin II activity drives stress fiber assembly and enhanced tension at adhesions simultaneously, the extent to which adhesion maturation is driven by tension or altered actin architecture is unknown. We show that perturbations to formin and α-actinin 1 activity selectively inhibited stress fiber assembly at adhesions but retained a contractile lamella that generated large tension on adhesions. Despite relatively unperturbed adhesion dynamics and force transmission, impaired stress fiber assembly impeded focal adhesion compositional maturation and fibronectin remodeling. Finally, we show that compositional maturation of focal adhesions could occur even when myosin II-dependent cellular tension was reduced by 80%. We propose that stress fiber assembly at the adhesion site serves as a structural template that facilitates adhesion maturation over a wide range of tensions. This work identifies the essential role of lamellar actin architecture in adhesion maturation.     

Dynamic and structural signatures of lamellar actomyosin force generation

The regulation of cellular traction forces on the extracellular matrix is critical to cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Diverse lamellar actin organizations ranging from contractile lamellar networks to stress fibers are observed in adherent cells. Although lamellar organization is thought to reflect the extent of cellular force generation, understanding of the physical behaviors of the lamellar actin cytoskeleton is lacking. To elucidate these properties, we visualized the actomyosin dynamics and organization in U2OS cells over a broad range of forces. At low forces, contractile lamellar networks predominate and force generation is strongly correlated to actomyosin retrograde flow dynamics with nominal change in organization. Lamellar networks build ～60% of cellular tension over rapid time scales. At high forces, reorganization of the lamellar network into stress fibers results in moderate changes in cellular tension over slower time scales. As stress fibers build and tension increases, myosin band spacing decreases and α-actinin bands form. On soft matrices, force generation by lamellar networks is unaffected, whereas tension-dependent stress fiber assembly is abrogated. These data elucidate the dynamic and structural signatures of the actomyosin cytoskeleton at different levels of tension and set a foundation for quantitative models of cell and tissue mechanics.     

Analysis of the myosin-II-responsive focal adhesion proteome reveals a role for β-Pix in negative regulation of focal adhesion maturation

Focal adhesions undergo myosin-II-mediated maturation wherein they grow and change composition to modulate integrin signalling for cell migration, growth and differentiation. To determine how focal adhesion composition is affected by myosin II activity, we performed proteomic analysis of isolated focal adhesions and compared protein abundance in focal adhesions from cells with and without myosin II inhibition. We identified 905 focal adhesion proteins, 459 of which changed in abundance with myosin II inhibition, defining the myosin-II-responsive focal adhesion proteome. The abundance of 73% of the proteins in the myosin-II-responsive focal adhesion proteome was enhanced by contractility, including proteins involved in Rho-mediated focal adhesion maturation and endocytosis- and calpain-dependent focal adhesion disassembly. During myosin II inhibition, 27% of proteins in the myosin-II-responsive focal adhesion proteome, including proteins involved in Rac-mediated lamellipodial protrusion, were enriched in focal adhesions, establishing that focal adhesion protein recruitment is also negatively regulated by contractility. We focused on the Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor β-Pix, documenting its role in the negative regulation of focal adhesion maturation and the promotion of lamellipodial protrusion and focal adhesion turnover to drive cell migration.     

Myosin II activity regulates vinculin recruitment to focal adhesions through FAK-mediated paxillin phosphorylation

Focal adhesions (FAs) are mechanosensitive adhesion and signaling complexes that grow and change composition in response to myosin II–mediated cytoskeletal tension in a process known as FA maturation. To understand tension-mediated FA maturation, we sought to identify proteins that are recruited to FAs in a myosin II–dependent manner and to examine the mechanism for their myosin II–sensitive FA association. We find that FA recruitment of both the cytoskeletal adapter protein vinculin and the tyrosine kinase FA kinase (FAK) are myosin II and extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness dependent. Myosin II activity promotes FAK/Src-mediated phosphorylation of paxillin on tyrosines 31 and 118 and vinculin association with paxillin. We show that phosphomimic mutations of paxillin can specifically induce the recruitment of vinculin to adhesions independent of myosin II activity. These results reveal an important role for paxillin in adhesion mechanosensing via myosin II–mediated FAK phosphorylation of paxillin that promotes vinculin FA recruitment to reinforce the cytoskeletal ECM linkage and drive FA maturation.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Induction of focal adhesions and motility in Drosophila S2 cells

Focal adhesions are dynamic structures that interact with the extracellular matrix on the cell exterior and actin filaments on the cell interior, enabling cells to adhere and crawl along surfaces. We describe a system for inducing the formation of focal adhesions in normally non–ECM-adherent, nonmotile Drosophila S2 cells. These focal adhesions contain the expected molecular markers such as talin, vinculin, and p130Cas, and they require talin for their formation. The S2 cells with induced focal adhesions also display a nonpolarized form of motility on vitronectin-coated substrates. Consistent with findings in mammalian cells, the degree of motility can be tuned by changing the stiffness of the substrate and was increased after the depletion of PAK3, a p21-activated kinase. A subset of nonmotile, nonpolarized cells also exhibited focal adhesions that rapidly assembled and disassembled around the cell perimeter. Such cooperative and dynamic fluctuations of focal adhesions were decreased by RNA interference (RNAi) depletion of myosin II and focal adhesion kinase, suggesting that this behavior requires force and focal adhesion maturation. These results demonstrate that S2 cells, a cell line that is well studied for cytoskeletal dynamics and readily amenable to protein manipulation by RNAi, can be used to study the assembly and dynamics of focal adhesions and mechanosensitive cell motility.     

Force-induced adsorption and anisotropic growth of focal adhesions

Focal adhesions are micrometer-sized protein aggregates that connect actin stress fibers to the extracellular matrix, a network of macromolecules surrounding tissue cells. The actin fibers are under tension due to actin-myosin contractility. Recent measurements have shown that as the actin force is increased, these adhesions grow in size and in the direction of the force. This is in contrast to the growth of condensed domains of surface-adsorbed molecules in which the dynamics are isotropic. We predict these force-sensitive, anisotropic dynamics of focal adhesions from a model for the adsorption of proteins from the cytoplasm to the adhesion site. Our theory couples the mechanical forces and elasticity to the adsorption dynamics via force-induced conformational changes of molecular-sized mechanosensors located in the focal adhesion. We predict the velocity of both the front and back of the adhesion as a function of the applied force. In addition, our results show that the relative motion of the front and back of the adhesion is asymmetric and in different ranges of forces, the adhesion can either shrink or grow in the direction of the force.     

Traction stress in focal adhesions correlates biphasically with actin retrograde flow speed

How focal adhesions (FAs) convert retrograde filamentous actin (F-actin) flow into traction stress on the extracellular matrix to drive cell migration is unknown. Using combined traction force and fluorescent speckle microscopy, we observed a robust biphasic relationship between F-actin speed and traction force. F-actin speed is inversely related to traction stress near the cell edge where FAs are formed and F-actin motion is rapid. In contrast, larger FAs where the F-actin speed is low are marked by a direct relationship between F-actin speed and traction stress. We found that the biphasic switch is determined by a threshold F-actin speed of 8–10 nm/s, independent of changes in FA protein density, age, stress magnitude, assembly/disassembly status, or subcellular position induced by pleiotropic perturbations to Rho family guanosine triphosphatase signaling and myosin II activity. Thus, F-actin speed is a fundamental regulator of traction force at FAs during cell migration.     

Shootin1–cortactin interaction mediates signal–force transduction for axon outgrowth

Motile cells transduce environmental chemical signals into mechanical forces to achieve properly controlled migration. This signal–force transduction is thought to require regulated mechanical coupling between actin filaments (F-actins), which undergo retrograde flow at the cellular leading edge, and cell adhesions via linker “clutch” molecules. However, the molecular machinery mediating this regulatory coupling remains unclear. Here we show that the F-actin binding molecule cortactin directly interacts with a clutch molecule, shootin1, in axonal growth cones, thereby mediating the linkage between F-actin retrograde flow and cell adhesions through L1-CAM. Shootin1–cortactin interaction was enhanced by shootin1 phosphorylation by Pak1, which is activated by the axonal chemoattractant netrin-1. We provide evidence that shootin1–cortactin interaction participates in netrin-1–induced F-actin adhesion coupling and in the promotion of traction forces for axon outgrowth. Under cell signaling, this regulatory F-actin adhesion coupling in growth cones cooperates with actin polymerization for efficient cellular motility.     

Role of myosin II in axon outgrowth.

The initial stages of nerve outgrowth carried out by growth cones occur in three fundamental cyclic steps. Each of these steps appears to require myosin II activity to variable degrees. The steps include the following: (a) exploration, involving extensions and retractions that are driven and controlled by the interaction of actin retrograde flow and polymerization; (b) adhesion of new extensions to the substrate, which has been shown to be mediated by complex interactions between extracellular matrix proteins, cell adhesion proteins, and the actin cytoskeleton; and (c) traction force generated during forward advance of the growth cone, resulting in the production of tension on the neurite.     

Synaptopodin couples epithelial contractility to α-actinin-4–dependent junction maturation

The epithelial junction experiences mechanical force exerted by endogenous actomyosin activities and from interactions with neighboring cells. We hypothesize that tension generated at cell–cell adhesive contacts contributes to the maturation and assembly of the junctional complex. To test our hypothesis, we used a hydraulic apparatus that can apply mechanical force to intercellular junction in a confluent monolayer of cells. We found that mechanical force induces α-actinin-4 and actin accumulation at the cell junction in a time- and tension-dependent manner during junction development. Intercellular tension also induces α-actinin-4–dependent recruitment of vinculin to the cell junction. In addition, we have identified a tension-sensitive upstream regulator of α-actinin-4 as synaptopodin. Synaptopodin forms a complex containing α-actinin-4 and β-catenin and interacts with myosin II, indicating that it can physically link adhesion molecules to the cellular contractile apparatus. Synaptopodin depletion prevents junctional accumulation of α-actinin-4, vinculin, and actin. Knockdown of synaptopodin and α-actinin-4 decreases the strength of cell–cell adhesion, reduces the monolayer permeability barrier, and compromises cellular contractility. Our findings underscore the complexity of junction development and implicate a control process via tension-induced sequential incorporation of junctional components.     

The key feature for early migratory processes: Dependence of adhesion,actin bundles,force generation and transmission on filopodia

Migration of cells is one of the most essential prerequisites to form higher organisms and depends on a strongly coordinated sequence of processes. Early migratory events include substrate sensing, adhesion formation, actin bundle assembly and force generation. While substrate sensing was ascribed to filopodia, all other processes were believed to depend mainly on lamellipodia of migrating cells. In this work we show for motile keratinocytes that all processes from substrate sensing to force generation strongly depend on filopodial focal complexes as well as on filopodial actin bundles. In a coordinated step by step process, filopodial focal complexes have to be tightly adhered to the substrate and to filopodial actin bundles to enlarge upon lamellipodial contact forming classical focal adhesions. Lamellipodial actin filaments attached to those focal adhesions originate from filopodia. Upon cell progression, the incorporation of filopodial actin bundles into the lamellipodium goes along with a complete change in actin cross-linker composition from filopodial fascin to lamellipodial α-actinin. α-Actinin in turn is replaced by myosin II and becomes incorporated directly behind the leading edge. Myosin II activity makes this class of actin bundles with their attached FAs the major source of force generation and transmission at the cell front. Furthermore, connection of FAs to force generating actin bundles leads to their stabilization and further enlargement. Consequently, adhesion sites formed independently of filopodia are not connected to detectable actin bundles, transmit weak forces to the substrate and disassemble within a few minutes without having been increased in size.Key words: filopodia, focal complexes, cell migration, focal adhesion, myosin II, force, actin flow, maturation     

Myosin II functions in actin-bundle turnover in neuronal growth cones

Retrograde actin flow works in concert with cell adhesion to generate traction forces that are involved in axon guidance in neuronal growth cones. Myosins have been implicated in retrograde flow, but identification of the specific myosin subtype(s) involved has been controversial. Using fluorescent speckle microscopy (FSM) to assess actin dynamics, we report that inhibition of myosin II alone decreases retrograde flow by 51% and the remaining flow can be almost fully accounted for by the 'push' of plus-end actin assembly at the leading edge of the growth cone. Interestingly, actin bundles that are associated with filopodium roots elongated by approximately 83% after inhibition of myosin II. This unexpected result was due to decreased rates of actin-bundle severing near their proximal (minus or pointed) ends which are located in the transition zone of the growth cone. Our study reveals a mechanism for the regulation of actin-bundle length by myosin II that is dependent on actin-bundle severing, and demonstrate that retrograde flow is a steady state that depends on both myosin II contractility and actin-network treadmilling.     

Myosin II Motor Proteins with Different Functions Determine the Fate of Lamellipodia Extension during Cell Spreading

Non-muscle cells express multiple myosin-II motor proteins myosin IIA, myosin IIB and myosin IIC transcribed from different loci in the human genome. Due to a significant homology in their sequences, these ubiquitously expressed myosin II motor proteins are believed to have overlapping cellular functions, but the mechanistic details are not elucidated. The present study uncovered a mechanism that coordinates the distinctly localized myosin IIA and myosin IIB with unexpected opposite mechanical roles in maneuvering lamellipodia extension, a critical step in the initiation of cell invasion, spreading, and migration. Myosin IIB motor protein by localizing at the front drives lamellipodia extension during cell spreading. On the other hand, myosin IIA localizes next to myosin IIB and attenuates or retracts lamellipodia extension. Myosin IIA and IIB increase cell adhesion by regulating focal contacts formation in the spreading margins and central part of the spreading cell, respectively. Spreading cells expressing both myosin IIA and myosin IIB motor proteins display an organized actin network consisting of retrograde filaments, arcs and central filaments attached to focal contacts. This organized actin network especially arcs and focal contacts formation in the spreading margins were lost in myosin IIÂ cells. Surprisingly, myosin II$\widehat{B}$ cells displayed long parallel actin filaments connected to focal contacts in the spreading margins. Thus, with different roles in the regulation of the actin network and focal contacts formation, both myosin IIA and IIB determine the fate of lamellipodia extension during cell spreading.     

Actin polymerization or myosin contraction: two ways to build up cortical tension for symmetry breaking

Cells use complex biochemical pathways to drive shape changes for polarization and movement. One of these pathways is the self-assembly of actin filaments and myosin motors that together produce the forces and tensions that drive cell shape changes. Whereas the role of actin and myosin motors in cell polarization is clear, the exact mechanism of how the cortex, a thin shell of actin that is underneath the plasma membrane, can drive cell shape changes is still an open question. Here, we address this issue using biomimetic systems: the actin cortex is reconstituted on liposome membranes, in an ‘outside geometry’. The actin shell is either grown from an activator of actin polymerization immobilized at the membrane by a biotin–streptavidin link, or built by simple adsorption of biotinylated actin filaments to the membrane, in the presence or absence of myosin motors. We show that tension in the actin network can be induced either by active actin polymerization on the membrane via the Arp2/3 complex or by myosin II filament pulling activity. Symmetry breaking and spontaneous polarization occur above a critical tension that opens up a crack in the actin shell. We show that this critical tension is reached by growing branched networks, nucleated by the Arp2/3 complex, in a concentration window of capping protein that limits actin filament growth and by a sufficient number of motors that pull on actin filaments. Our study provides the groundwork to understanding the physical mechanisms at work during polarization prior to cell shape modifications.     

Direct detection of cellular adaptation to local cyclic stretching at the single cell level by atomic force microscopy

The cellular response to external mechanical forces has important effects on numerous biological phenomena. The sequences of molecular events that underlie the observed changes in cellular properties have yet to be elucidated in detail. Here we have detected the responses of a cultured cell against locally applied cyclic stretching and compressive forces, after creating an artificial focal adhesion under a glass bead attached to the cantilever of an atomic force microscope. The cell tension initially increased in response to the tensile stress and then decreased within ∼1 min as a result of viscoelastic properties of the cell. This relaxation was followed by a gradual increase in tension extending over several minutes. The slow recovery of tension ceased after several cycles of force application. This tension-recovering activity was inhibited when cells were treated with cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, or with (−)-blebbistatin, an inhibitor of myosin II ATPase activity, suggesting that the activity was driven by actin-myosin interaction. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative analysis of cellular mechanical properties during the process of adaptation to locally applied cyclic external force.     

Integrating actin dynamics,mechanotransduction and integrin activation: The multiple functions of actin binding proteins in focal adhesions

Focal adhesions are clusters of integrin transmembrane receptors that mechanically couple the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton during cell migration. Focal adhesions sense and respond to variations in force transmission along a chain of protein-protein interactions linking successively actin filaments, actin binding proteins, integrins and the extracellular matrix to adapt cell-matrix adhesion to the composition and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which actin binding proteins integrate actin dynamics, mechanotransduction and integrin activation to control force transmission in focal adhesions.     

An RPTPα/Src family kinase/Rap1 signaling module recruits myosin IIB to support contractile tension at apical E-cadherin junctions

Cell–cell adhesion couples the contractile cortices of epithelial cells together, generating tension to support a range of morphogenetic processes. E-cadherin adhesion plays an active role in generating junctional tension by promoting actin assembly and cortical signaling pathways that regulate myosin II. Multiple myosin II paralogues accumulate at mammalian epithelial cell–cell junctions. Earlier, we found that myosin IIA responds to Rho-ROCK signaling to support junctional tension in MCF-7 cells. Although myosin IIB is also found at the zonula adherens (ZA) in these cells, its role in junctional contractility and its mode of regulation are less well understood. We now demonstrate that myosin IIB contributes to tension at the epithelial ZA. Further, we identify a receptor type-protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha–Src family kinase–Rap1 pathway as responsible for recruiting myosin IIB to the ZA and supporting contractile tension. Overall these findings reinforce the concept that orthogonal E-cadherin–based signaling pathways recruit distinct myosin II paralogues to generate the contractile apparatus at apical epithelial junctions.     

Flow-induced focal adhesion remodeling mediated by local cytoskeletal stresses and reorganization

Cells respond to fluid shear stress through dynamic processes involving changes in actomyosin and other cytoskeletal stresses, remodeling of cell adhesions, and cytoskeleton reorganization. In this study we simultaneously measured focal adhesion dynamics and cytoskeletal stress and reorganization in MDCK cells under fluid shear stress. The measurements used co-expression of fluorescently labeled paxillin and force sensitive FRET probes of α-actinin. A shear stress of 0.74 dyn/cm² for 3 hours caused redistribution of cytoskeletal tension and significant focal adhesion remodeling. The fate of focal adhesions is determined by the stress state and stability of the linked actin stress fibers. In the interior of the cell, the mature focal adhesions disassembled within 35-40 min under flow and stress fibers disintegrated. Near the cell periphery, the focal adhesions anchoring the stress fibers perpendicular to the cell periphery disassembled, while focal adhesions associated with peripheral fibers sustained. The diminishing focal adhesions are coupled with local cytoskeletal stress release and actin stress fiber disassembly whereas sustaining peripheral focal adhesions are coupled with an increase in stress and enhancement of actin bundles. The results show that flow induced formation of peripheral actin bundles provides a favorable environment for focal adhesion remodeling along the cell periphery. Under such condition, new FAs were observed along the cell edge under flow. Our results suggest that the remodeling of FAs in epithelial cells under flow is orchestrated by actin cytoskeletal stress redistribution and structural reorganization.     

Actin retrograde flow and actomyosin II arc contraction drive receptor cluster dynamics at the immunological synapse in Jurkat T cells

Actin retrograde flow and actomyosin II contraction have both been implicated in the inward movement of T cell receptor (TCR) microclusters and immunological synapse formation, but no study has integrated and quantified their relative contributions. Using Jurkat T cells expressing fluorescent myosin IIA heavy chain and F-tractin-a novel reporter for F-actin-we now provide direct evidence that the distal supramolecular activation cluster (dSMAC) and peripheral supramolecular activation cluster (pSMAC) correspond to lamellipodial (LP) and lamellar (LM) actin networks, respectively, as hypothesized previously. Our images reveal concentric and contracting actomyosin II arcs/rings at the LM/pSMAC. Moreover, the speeds of centripetally moving TCR microclusters correspond very closely to the rates of actin retrograde flow in the LP/dSMAC and actomyosin II arc contraction in the LM/pSMAC. Using cytochalasin D and jasplakinolide to selectively inhibit actin retrograde flow in the LP/dSMAC and blebbistatin to selectively inhibit actomyosin II arc contraction in the LM/pSMAC, we demonstrate that both forces are required for centripetal TCR microcluster transport. Finally, we show that leukocyte function-associated antigen 1 clusters accumulate over time at the inner aspect of the LM/pSMAC and that this accumulation depends on actomyosin II contraction. Thus actin retrograde flow and actomyosin II arc contraction coordinately drive receptor cluster dynamics at the immunological synapse.     

A contractile and counterbalancing adhesion system controls the 3D shape of crawling cells

How adherent and contractile systems coordinate to promote cell shape changes is unclear. Here, we define a counterbalanced adhesion/contraction model for cell shape control. Live-cell microscopy data showed a crucial role for a contractile meshwork at the top of the cell, which is composed of actin arcs and myosin IIA filaments. The contractile actin meshwork is organized like muscle sarcomeres, with repeating myosin II filaments separated by the actin bundling protein α-actinin, and is mechanically coupled to noncontractile dorsal actin fibers that run from top to bottom in the cell. When the meshwork contracts, it pulls the dorsal fibers away from the substrate. This pulling force is counterbalanced by the dorsal fibers’ attachment to focal adhesions, causing the fibers to bend downward and flattening the cell. This model is likely to be relevant for understanding how cells configure themselves to complex surfaces, protrude into tight spaces, and generate three-dimensional forces on the growth substrate under both healthy and diseased conditions.