Arp2/3 complex

Last updated
Atomic structure of bovine Arp2/3 complex (PDB code: 1k8k). Color coding for subunits: Arp3, orange; Arp2, marine (subunits 1 & 2 not resolved and thus not shown); p40, green; p34, ice blue; p20, dark blue; p21, magenta; p16, yellow. Arp2 3 complex.png
Atomic structure of bovine Arp2/3 complex (PDB code: 1k8k). Color coding for subunits: Arp3, orange; Arp2, marine (subunits 1 & 2 not resolved and thus not shown); p40, green; p34, ice blue; p20, dark blue; p21, magenta; p16, yellow.

Arp2/3 complex (Actin Related Protein 2/3 complex) is a seven-subunit protein complex that plays a major role in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. It is a major component of the actin cytoskeleton and is found in most actin cytoskeleton-containing eukaryotic cells. [2] Two of its subunits, the Actin-Related Proteins ARP2 and ARP3, closely resemble the structure of monomeric actin and serve as nucleation sites for new actin filaments. The complex binds to the sides of existing ("mother") filaments and initiates growth of a new ("daughter") filament at a distinctive 70 degree angle from the mother. Branched actin networks are created as a result of this nucleation of new filaments. The regulation of rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton is important for processes like cell locomotion, phagocytosis, and intracellular motility of lipid vesicles.

Contents

The Arp2/3 complex was named after it was identified in 1994 by affinity chromatography from Acanthamoeba castellanii, [3] though it had been previously isolated in 1989 in a search for proteins that bind to actin filaments in Drosophila melanogaster embryos. [4] It is found in most eukaryotic organisms, but absent from a number of Chromalveolates and plants. [2]

Mechanisms of actin polymerization by Arp2/3

Side branching model of the Arp2/3 complex. Activated Arp2/3 complex binds to the side of a "mother" actin filament. Both Arp2 and Arp3 form the first two subunits in the new "daughter" filament. Arp23 side branching model.png
Side branching model of the Arp2/3 complex. Activated Arp2/3 complex binds to the side of a "mother" actin filament. Both Arp2 and Arp3 form the first two subunits in the new "daughter" filament.
Barbed end branching model of the Arp2/3 complex. Activated Arp2/3 competes with capping proteins to bind to the barbed end of an actin filament. Arp2 remains bound to the mother filament, while Arp3 is outside. The two Arp subunits form the first subunits of each branch and the two branches continue to grow by addition of G-actin to each Arp Arp23 barbed end branching model.png
Barbed end branching model of the Arp2/3 complex. Activated Arp2/3 competes with capping proteins to bind to the barbed end of an actin filament. Arp2 remains bound to the mother filament, while Arp3 is outside. The two Arp subunits form the first subunits of each branch and the two branches continue to grow by addition of G-actin to each Arp

Many actin-related molecules create a free barbed end for polymerization by uncapping or severing pre-existing filaments and using these as actin nucleation cores. However, the Arp2/3 complex stimulates actin polymerization by creating a new nucleation core. Actin nucleation is an initial step in the formation of an actin filament. The nucleation core activity of Arp2/3 is activated by Nucleation Promoting Factors (NPFs) including members of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome family protein (WASP, N-WASP, WAVE, and WASH proteins). The V domain of a WASP protein interacts with actin monomers while the CA region associates with the Arp2/3 complex to create a nucleation core. However, de novo nucleation followed by polymerization is not sufficient to form integrated actin networks, since these newly synthesized polymers would not be associated with pre-existing filaments. Thus, the Arp2/3 complex binds to pre-existing filaments so that the new filaments can grow on the old ones and form a functional actin cytoskeleton. [5] Capping proteins limit actin polymerization to the region activated by the Arp2/3 complex, and the elongated filament ends are recapped to prevent depolymerization and thus conserve the actin filament. [6]

The Arp2/3 complex simultaneously controls nucleation of actin polymerization and branching of filaments. Moreover, autocatalysis is observed during Arp2/3-mediated actin polymerization. In this process, the newly formed filaments activate other Arp2/3 complexes, facilitating the formation of branched filaments.

The mechanism of actin filament initiation by Arp2/3 has been disputed. The question is where the complex binds the filament and nucleates a "daughter" filament. Historically two models have been proposed. Recent results favour the side branching model, in which the Arp2/3 complex binds to the side of a pre-existing ("mother") filament at a point different from the nucleation site. Although the field lacks a high-resolution crystal structure, data from electron microscopy, [7] [8] [9] together with biochemical data on the filament nucleation and capping mechanisms of the Arp2/3 complex, [10] favour side branching. In the alternative barbed end branching model, Arp2/3 only associates at the barbed end of growing filaments, allowing for the elongation of the original filament and the formation of a branched filament., [11] a model based on kinetic analysis and optical microscopy.

Recent computer docking, independently confirmed by EM data, favors a side-branching model. ARPC2 and ARPC4 together form an area that attach the base of the branch to the side of a mother filament. [12] Large conformational changes occur on nucleotide and WASP binding. [9] [13]

Cellular uses of Arp2/3

The Arp2/3 complex appears to be important in a variety of specialized cell functions that involve the actin cytoskeleton. The complex is found in cellular regions characterized by dynamic actin filament activity: in macropinocytic cups, in the leading edge of motile cells (lamellipodia), and in motile actin patches in yeast. [14] In mammals and the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum [15] [16] it is required for phagocytosis. The complex has also been shown to be involved in the establishment of cell polarity and the migration of fibroblast monolayers in a wound-healing model. [17] In mammalian oocytes, the Arp2/3 complex is involved in oocyte asymmetric division and polar body emission, which result from the failure of spindle migration (a unique feature of oocyte division) and cytokinesis. [18] Moreover, enteropathogenic organisms like Listeria monocytogenes and Shigella use the Arp2/3 complex for actin-polymerization- dependent rocketing movements. [19] The Arp2/3 complex also regulates the intracellular motility of endosomes, lysosomes, pinocytic vesicles, and mitochondria. [20] Moreover, recent studies show that the Arp2/3 complex is essential for proper polar cell expansion in plants. Arp2/3 mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana result in abnormal filament organization, which in turn affects the expansion of trichomes, pavement cells, hypocotyl cells, and root hair cells. [21] [22] Chemical inhibition or genetic mutation of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Arp2/3 complex decreases the length of flagella. [23] [24]

Subunits

The Arp2/3 complex is composed of seven subunits: Arp2/ACTR2, Arp3/ACTR3, p41/ARPC1A&B/Arc40/Sop2/p40, p34/ARPC2/ARC35/p35, p21/ARPC3/ARC18/p19, p20/ARPC4/ARC19/p18, p16/ARPC5/ARC15/p14. [25] [26] The subunits Arp2 and Arp3 closely resemble monomeric actin allowing for a thermodynamically stable actin-like dimer. p41 has been proposed to interact with nucleation promoting factors (NPFs) because it is only known to have minor contacts with the mother filament and there is a major loss of nucleation efficiency in the absence of p41. p34 and p20 dimerize to form a structural backbone that mediates the interaction with the mother filament. p21 forms a bridge between Arp3 and the mother filament, increasing nucleation efficiency. p16 tethers Arp2 to the rest of the complex. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microfilament</span> Filament in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells

Microfilaments, also called actin filaments, are protein filaments in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells that form part of the cytoskeleton. They are primarily composed of polymers of actin, but are modified by and interact with numerous other proteins in the cell. Microfilaments are usually about 7 nm in diameter and made up of two strands of actin. Microfilament functions include cytokinesis, amoeboid movement, cell motility, changes in cell shape, endocytosis and exocytosis, cell contractility, and mechanical stability. Microfilaments are flexible and relatively strong, resisting buckling by multi-piconewton compressive forces and filament fracture by nanonewton tensile forces. In inducing cell motility, one end of the actin filament elongates while the other end contracts, presumably by myosin II molecular motors. Additionally, they function as part of actomyosin-driven contractile molecular motors, wherein the thin filaments serve as tensile platforms for myosin's ATP-dependent pulling action in muscle contraction and pseudopod advancement. Microfilaments have a tough, flexible framework which helps the cell in movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actin</span> Family of proteins

Actin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that form microfilaments in the cytoskeleton, and the thin filaments in muscle fibrils. It is found in essentially all eukaryotic cells, where it may be present at a concentration of over 100 μM; its mass is roughly 42 kDa, with a diameter of 4 to 7 nm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein</span> Mammalian protein found in humans

The Wiskott–Aldrich Syndrome protein (WASp) is a 502-amino acid protein expressed in cells of the hematopoietic system that in humans is encoded by the WAS gene. In the inactive state, WASp exists in an autoinhibited conformation with sequences near its C-terminus binding to a region near its N-terminus. Its activation is dependent upon CDC42 and PIP2 acting to disrupt this interaction, causing the WASp protein to 'open'. This exposes a domain near the WASp C-terminus that binds to and activates the Arp2/3 complex. Activated Arp2/3 nucleates new F-actin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Podosome</span>

Podosomes are conical, actin-rich structures found on the outer surface of the plasma membrane of animal cells. Their size ranges from approximately 0.5 µm to 2.0 µm in diameter. While usually situated on the periphery of the cellular membrane, these unique structures display a polarized pattern of distribution in migrating cells, situating at the front border between the lamellipodium and lamellum. Their primary purpose is connected to cellular motility and invasion; therefore, they serve as both sites of attachment and degradation along the extracellular matrix. Many different specialized cells exhibit these dynamic structures such as invasive cancer cells, osteoclasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and certain immune cells like macrophages and dendritic cells.

The lamellipodium is a cytoskeletal protein actin projection on the leading edge of the cell. It contains a quasi-two-dimensional actin mesh; the whole structure propels the cell across a substrate. Within the lamellipodia are ribs of actin called microspikes, which, when they spread beyond the lamellipodium frontier, are called filopodia. The lamellipodium is born of actin nucleation in the plasma membrane of the cell and is the primary area of actin incorporation or microfilament formation of the cell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADF/Cofilin family</span>

ADF/cofilin is a family of actin-binding proteins associated with the rapid depolymerization of actin microfilaments that give actin its characteristic dynamic instability. This dynamic instability is central to actin's role in muscle contraction, cell motility and transcription regulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortactin</span> Protein found in humans

Cortactin is a monomeric protein located in the cytoplasm of cells that can be activated by external stimuli to promote polymerization and rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, especially the actin cortex around the cellular periphery. It is present in all cell types. When activated, it will recruit Arp2/3 complex proteins to existing actin microfilaments, facilitating and stabilizing nucleation sites for actin branching. Cortactin is important in promoting lamellipodia formation, invadopodia formation, cell migration, and endocytosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ACTR3</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Actin-related protein 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ACTR3 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ACTR2</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Actin-related protein 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ACTR2 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WASL (gene)</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Neural Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the WASL gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WASF1</span>

Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein family member 1, also known as WASP-family verprolin homologous protein 1 (WAVE1), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the WASF1 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARPC1B</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 1B is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ARPC1B gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARPC3</span> Protein-coding gene in humans

Actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ARPC3 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARPC5</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 5 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ARPC5 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cordon-bleu protein</span> Protein found in humans

Protein cordon-bleu is a protein that in humans is encoded by the COBL gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actin assembly-inducing protein</span>

The Actin assembly-inducing protein (ActA) is a protein encoded and used by Listeria monocytogenes to propel itself through a mammalian host cell. ActA is a bacterial surface protein comprising a membrane-spanning region. In a mammalian cell the bacterial ActA interacts with the Arp2/3 complex and actin monomers to induce actin polymerization on the bacterial surface generating an actin comet tail. The gene encoding ActA is named actA or prtB.

Actin remodeling is the biochemical process that allows for the dynamic alterations of cellular organization. The remodeling of actin filaments occurs in a cyclic pattern on cell surfaces and exists as a fundamental aspect to cellular life. During the remodeling process, actin monomers polymerize in response to signaling cascades that stem from environmental cues. The cell's signaling pathways cause actin to affect intracellular organization of the cytoskeleton and often consequently, the cell membrane. Again triggered by environmental conditions, actin filaments break back down into monomers and the cycle is completed. Actin-binding proteins (ABPs) aid in the transformation of actin filaments throughout the actin remodeling process. These proteins account for the diverse structure and changes in shape of Eukaryotic cells. Despite its complexity, actin remodeling may result in complete cytoskeletal reorganization in under a minute.

An actin nucleation core is a protein trimer with three actin monomers. It is called a nucleation core because it leads to the energetically favorable elongation reaction once a tetramer is formed from a trimer. Actin protein dimers and trimers are energetically unfavorable.Actin nucleators like the Arp2/3 complex of proteins from the formin family are most frequently involved in this process. Actin nucleation factors start the polymerization of actin within cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rong Li</span> American cell biologist (born 1967)

Rong Li is the Director of Mechanobiology Institute, a Singapore Research Center of Excellence, at the National University of Singapore. She is a Distinguished Professor at the National University of Singapore's Department of Biological Sciences and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Whiting School of Engineering. She previously served as Director of Center for Cell Dynamics in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. She is a leader in understanding cellular asymmetry, division and evolution, and specifically, in how eukaryotic cells establish their distinct morphology and organization in order to carry out their specialized functions.

References

  1. Robinson RC, Turbedsky K, Kaiser DA, Marchand JB, Higgs HN, Choe S, Pollard TD (November 2001). "Crystal structure of Arp2/3 complex". Science. 294 (5547): 1679–84. Bibcode:2001Sci...294.1679R. doi:10.1126/science.1066333. PMID   11721045. S2CID   18088124.
  2. 1 2 Veltman DM, Insall RH (August 2010). "WASP family proteins: their evolution and its physiological implications". Molecular Biology of the Cell. 21 (16): 2880–93. doi:10.1091/mbc.E10-04-0372. PMC   2921111 . PMID   20573979.
  3. Machesky LM, Atkinson SJ, Ampe C, Vandekerckhove J, Pollard TD (October 1994). "Purification of a cortical complex containing two unconventional actins from Acanthamoeba by affinity chromatography on profilin-agarose". The Journal of Cell Biology. 127 (1): 107–15. doi:10.1083/jcb.127.1.107. PMC   2120189 . PMID   7929556.
  4. Miller KG, Field CM, Alberts BM (December 1989). "Actin-binding proteins from Drosophila embryos: a complex network of interacting proteins detected by F-actin affinity chromatography". The Journal of Cell Biology. 109 (6 Pt 1): 2963–75. doi:10.1083/jcb.109.6.2963. PMC   2115944 . PMID   2512303.
  5. Pollard TD (2007). "Regulation of actin filament assembly by Arp2/3 complex and formins". Annual Review of Biophysics and Biomolecular Structure. 36: 451–77. doi:10.1146/annurev.biophys.35.040405.101936. PMID   17477841.
  6. Aguda AH, Burtnick LD, Robinson RC (March 2005). "The state of the filament". EMBO Reports. 6 (3): 220–6. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400363. PMC   1299273 . PMID   15741975.
  7. Egile C, Rouiller I, Xu XP, Volkmann N, Li R, Hanein D (November 2005). "Mechanism of filament nucleation and branch stability revealed by the structure of the Arp2/3 complex at actin branch junctions". PLOS Biology. 3 (11): e383. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030383. PMC   1278936 . PMID   16262445.
  8. Volkmann N, Amann KJ, Stoilova-McPhie S, Egile C, Winter DC, Hazelwood L, Heuser JE, Li R, Pollard TD, Hanein D (September 2001). "Structure of Arp2/3 complex in its activated state and in actin filament branch junctions". Science. 293 (5539): 2456–9. Bibcode:2001Sci...293.2456V. doi: 10.1126/science.1063025 . PMID   11533442. S2CID   17427295.
  9. 1 2 Rouiller I, Xu XP, Amann KJ, Egile C, Nickell S, Nicastro D, Li R, Pollard TD, Volkmann N, Hanein D (March 2008). "The structural basis of actin filament branching by the Arp2/3 complex". The Journal of Cell Biology. 180 (5): 887–95. doi:10.1083/jcb.200709092. PMC   2265399 . PMID   18316411.
  10. Dayel MJ, Mullins RD (April 2004). "Activation of Arp2/3 complex: addition of the first subunit of the new filament by a WASP protein triggers rapid ATP hydrolysis on Arp2". PLOS Biology. 2 (4): E91. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020091. PMC   387265 . PMID   15094799.
  11. Pantaloni D, Boujemaa R, Didry D, Gounon P, Carlier MF (July 2000). "The Arp2/3 complex branches filament barbed ends: functional antagonism with capping proteins". Nature Cell Biology. 2 (7): 385–91. doi:10.1038/35017011. PMID   10878802. S2CID   28209883.
  12. Goley, ED; Rammohan, A; Znameroski, EA; Firat-Karalar, EN; Sept, D; Welch, MD (4 May 2010). "An actin-filament-binding interface on the Arp2/3 complex is critical for nucleation and branch stability". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 107 (18): 8159–64. Bibcode:2010PNAS..107.8159G. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0911668107 . PMC   2889539 . PMID   20404198.
  13. Padrick, S. B.; Doolittle, L. K.; Brautigam, C. A.; King, D. S.; Rosen, M. K. (16 August 2011). "Arp2/3 complex is bound and activated by two WASP proteins". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (33): E472–E479. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1100236108 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   3158169 . PMID   21676863.
  14. Warren DT, Andrews PD, Gourlay CW, Ayscough KR (April 2002). "Sla1p couples the yeast endocytic machinery to proteins regulating actin dynamics". Journal of Cell Science. 115 (Pt 8): 1703–15. doi:10.1242/jcs.115.8.1703. PMID   11950888.
  15. May RC, Caron E, Hall A, Machesky LM (April 2000). "Involvement of the Arp2/3 complex in phagocytosis mediated by FcgammaR or CR3". Nature Cell Biology. 2 (4): 246–8. doi:10.1038/35008673. PMID   10783245. S2CID   33742268.
  16. Insall R, Müller-Taubenberger A, Machesky L, Köhler J, Simmeth E, Atkinson SJ, Weber I, Gerisch G (November 2001). "Dynamics of the Dictyostelium Arp2/3 complex in endocytosis, cytokinesis, and chemotaxis". Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton. 50 (3): 115–28. doi:10.1002/cm.10005. PMID   11807934.
  17. Magdalena J, Millard TH, Etienne-Manneville S, Launay S, Warwick HK, Machesky LM (February 2003). "Involvement of the Arp2/3 complex and Scar2 in Golgi polarity in scratch wound models". Molecular Biology of the Cell. 14 (2): 670–84. doi:10.1091/mbc.E02-06-0345. PMC   150000 . PMID   12589062.
  18. Yi K, Unruh JR, Deng M, Slaughter BD, Rubinstein B, Li R (August 2011). "Dynamic maintenance of asymmetric meiotic spindle position through Arp2/3-complex-driven cytoplasmic streaming in mouse oocytes". Nature Cell Biology. 13 (10): 1252–8. doi:10.1038/ncb2320. PMC   3523671 . PMID   21874009.
  19. Cossart P (June 2000). "Actin-based motility of pathogens: the Arp2/3 complex is a central player". Cellular Microbiology. 2 (3): 195–205. doi: 10.1046/j.1462-5822.2000.00053.x . PMID   11207576. S2CID   44343534.
  20. Mathur J (April 2005). "The ARP2/3 complex: giving plant cells a leading edge". BioEssays. 27 (4): 377–87. doi:10.1002/bies.20206. PMID   15770684. S2CID   423293.
  21. Bannigan A, Baskin TI (December 2005). "Directional cell expansion--turning toward actin". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 8 (6): 619–24. doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2005.09.002. PMID   16181803.
  22. Xu J, Scheres B (December 2005). "Cell polarity: ROPing the ends together". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 8 (6): 613–8. doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2005.09.003. hdl: 1874/21120 . PMID   16182602. S2CID   23098801.
  23. Avasthi, Prachee; Onishi, Masayuki; Karpiak, Joel; Yamamoto, Ryosuke; Mackinder, Luke; Jonikas, Martin C.; Sale, Winfield S.; Shoichet, Brian; Pringle, John R.; Marshall, Wallace F. (September 2014). "Actin Is Required for IFT Regulation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii". Current Biology. 24 (17): 2025–2032. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.07.038. ISSN   0960-9822. PMC   4160380 . PMID   25155506.
  24. Bigge, Brae M.; Rosenthal, Nicholas E.; Sept, David; Schroeder, Courtney M.; Avasthi, Prachee (2020-11-24). "Initial ciliary assembly in Chlamydomonas requires Arp2/3-dependent recruitment from a ciliary protein reservoir in the plasma membrane". bioRxiv: 2020.11.24.396002. doi:10.1101/2020.11.24.396002. S2CID   233178920.
  25. Goley ED, Welch MD (October 2006). "The ARP2/3 complex: an actin nucleator comes of age". Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 7 (10): 713–26. doi: 10.1038/nrm2026 . PMID   16990851. S2CID   20645116.
  26. Pizarro-Cerdá, Javier; Chorev, Dror Shlomo; Geiger, Benjamin; Cossart, Pascale (February 2017). "The Diverse Family of Arp2/3 Complexes". Trends in Cell Biology. 27 (2): 93–100. doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2016.08.001. ISSN   0962-8924. PMC   7098815 . PMID   27595492.
  27. Pizarro-Cerdá J, Chorev DS, Geiger B, Cossart P (February 2017). "The Diverse Family of Arp2/3 Complexes" (PDF). Trends in Cell Biology. 27 (2): 93–100. doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2016.08.001. PMC   7098815 . PMID   27595492.