Formins at a Glance
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Cell Science at a Glance 1 Formins at a glance common properties that apply to most protein family (encoded by 15 genes in formins, and highlighting recent advances mammals, two in S. cerevisiae, three in understanding formin structure, in Saccharomyces pombe, and six in Dennis Breitsprecher and mechanism, activity and regulation at the Drosophila melangastor) have been Bruce L. Goode* molecular and cellular levels. demonstrated to have crucial roles in an Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Formins were first identified in flies, increasingly wide range of cytoskeleton- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, 415 mice and yeast as genes that, when based processes (as illustrated in the South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA Poster). *Author for correspondence ([email protected]) mutated, cause severe defects in cytokinesis, polarity, and cell and tissue Journal of Cell Science 126, 1–7 morphogenesis (Mass et al., 1990; Cellular functions of formins ß 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd doi: 10.1242/jcs.107250 Jackson-Grusby et al., 1992; Castrillon In yeast, formins have an essential role in and Wasserman, 1994; Kohno et al., the assembly of cytokinetic rings and Formins are conserved actin polymerization 1996). Subsequent studies in budding cables that direct intracellular transport machines that have instrumental roles in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed (Chang, 1999; Feierbach and Chang, 2001; controlling rearrangements of the actin that formins directly nucleate the assembly Evangelista et al., 2002; Dong et al., 2003; cytoskeleton and have recently been of actin filaments, and that these activities Cheung and Wu, 2004; Ingouff et al., shown to directly regulate microtubule are essential in vivo for the assembly of 2005; Cheung et al., 2010). In animal cells, dynamics. Here, and on the accompanying actin cables that direct polarized cell formins are required for the assembly of poster, we aim to organize a rapidly growth (Evangelista et al., 2002; Pruyne filopodia (Pellegrin and Mellor, 2005; expanding body of literature on this et al., 2002; Sagot et al., 2002a; Sagot et al., Schirenbeck et al., 2005; Yang et al., diverse protein family, summarizing the 2002b). Since then, members of this large 2007; Block et al., 2008; Matusek et al., Journal of Cell Science (See poster insert) 2 Journal of Cell Science 126 (1) 2008; Harris et al., 2010), lamellipodia autoinhibited through DID–DAD formins AFH1, formin1 and class II (Yang et al., 2007; Sarmiento et al., 2008; interactions. Recent crystallographic and formin, directly bind phospholipid Block et al., 2012), stress fibers (Ishizaki single-particle electron microscopy studies membranes (Cheung et al., 2010; et al., 2001; Satoh and Tominaga, 2001; show that, in the autoinhibited Ramalingam et al., 2010; Gorelik et al., Gasteier et al., 2003; Peng et al., 2003; conformation, the N-terminus physically 2011; Martinie`re et al., 2011; van Hotulainen and Lappalainen, 2006; Sato obstructs the ability of the C-terminus to Gisbergen et al., 2012). These et al., 2006; Takeya et al., 2008), polymerize actin (Nezami et al., 2010; observations show that localization and cytoplasmic actin networks used for long- Otomo et al., 2010; Maiti et al., 2012). activation of formins depend on their range vesicle transport (Leader et al., 2002; Binding of active Rho-GTPases to GBD diverse interactions and that localization Azoury et al., 2008; Li et al., 2008; Pfender activates the formin by releasing these and activation, in some cases, serve as et al., 2011; Schuh, 2011), cytokinetic DID–DAD interactions. However, convergent inputs from multiple signalling actin rings (Severson et al., 2002; activation is noticeably incomplete (Li pathways. Watanabe et al., 2008) and phagocytic and Higgs, 2003; Maiti et al., 2012), cups (Brandt et al., 2007). Formins also suggesting that other factors are required Biochemical activities of formins have essential roles in physiological to fully activate formins. Formins are large, dimeric multi-domain processes ranging from cell motility in A variety of Rho-GTPases recruit DRFs proteins with a modular design (see the immune system (Yayoshi-Yamamoto to different locations in the cell for poster). Their signature features are the et al., 2000; Eisenmann et al., 2007; Shi localized actin assembly (Evangelista C-terminal formin homology 1 and 2 et al., 2009), to gastrulation and neural et al., 1997; Watanabe et al., 1997; domains (FH1 and FH2, respectively) tube closure (Habas et al., 2001; Sato et al., Ishizaki et al., 2001; Nakano et al., 2002; (Chesarone et al., 2010; Scho¨nichen and 2006; Lai et al., 2008), heart Tolliday et al., 2002; Pellegrin and Mellor, Geyer, 2010). The only known exception is morphogenesis (Iskratsch et al., 2010; Li 2005; Seth et al., 2006; Martin et al., 2007; Dictyostelium ForC, which lacks an FH1 et al., 2011), kidney morphogenesis Block et al., 2012) (see Poster), yet domain (Rivero et al., 2005). Most formins (Brown et al., 2010; Boyer et al., 2011a; additional factors can also regulate also have C-terminal tail regions that, Boyer et al., 2011b), and dendritic spine formins. For example, the S. cerevisiae sometimes, include DAD domains and/or formation in neurons. Some of these formin Bnr1 and S. pombe formin Cdc12 Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome homology functions depend on the actin nucleation each harbor at least two separate region 2 (WH2)-like domains. In and elongation activities of formins localization sequences that independently comparison, the N-terminal halves of (Bartolini et al., 2008; Andre´s-Delgado target the formin in vivo (Gao et al., 2010), formins are more variable and have main et al., 2010; Madrid et al., 2010; Andre´s- suggesting that a combination of cues and roles in directing their localization. Delgado et al., 2012; Ramabhadran et al., binding partners control formin Most purified formins exhibit the 2012; Stastna et al., 2012), which have recruitment. Indeed, one of the sequences following three activities: (1) nucleation been demonstrated by investigating point in Bnr1 was shown to interact with a of actin assembly, (2) processive mutations that impair in these activities septin-associated kinase that controls Bnr1 movement on growing barbed ends of Journal of Cell Science (Xu et al., 2004; Lu et al., 2007; function (Buttery et al., 2012). In addition, actin filaments while protecting them Ramabhadran et al., 2012). However, for the S. cerevisiae DRF Bni1 is from capping proteins and (3) profilin- many of the other in vivo functions of phosphorylated at its N- and C-termini by dependent acceleration of actin filament formins, it has not yet been determined Prk1 kinase, which facilitates its release elongation. Additional activities in which of their activities are required. from autoinhibition (Wang et al., 2009). In different subsets of formins include Moreover, some formins exhibit activities mammals, the formin protein diaphanous MT binding (see below) and actin beyond actin assembly, e.g. actin bundling, homolog 2 (DIAPH2, hereafter referred to filament bundling, severing and/or severing, depolymerization and microtubule as mDia3) is phosphorylated by Aurora B depolymerization (Harris et al., 2004; (MT) binding (see below). Thus, an kinase (Cheng et al., 2011), the formin Michelot et al., 2005; Moseley and important future challenge is to develop homology domain proteins 1 and 3 Goode, 2005; Chhabra and Higgs, 2006; new mutants as tools that are capable of (FHOD1 and FHOD3, respectively) are Harris and Higgs, 2006; Esue et al., 2008; separately disrupting each formin activity. phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent Barko´ et al., 2010; Harris et al., 2010; protein kinase 1 (PRKG1) and casein Machaidze et al., 2010; Scott et al., 2011; Localization and activation of formins kinase 2 subunit a (CSNK2A1, also Skillman et al., 2012). All known Formins are recruited and activated at known as CK2) (Hannemann et al., 2008; interactions of formins with actin and different sites in cells, where they Iskratsch et al., 2010; Iskratsch et al., MTs are mediated by the FH1 and FH2 perform their diverse roles in cytoskeletal 2012), and mDia2 and FHOD1 are domains and/or the tail regions. The FH1 reorganization. Of the 15 vertebrate activated through phosphorylation by domain is predicted to be extended and formins, the largest subset are Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) unstructured, and contains multiple Diaphanous-related formins (DRFs), (Takeya et al., 2008; Staus et al., 2011). proline-rich motifs that recruit complexes which have an N-terminal GTPase- Inverted formin-2 (INF2) and formin-like that consist of actin monomers and binding domain (GBD), an adjacent DID protein 2 (FMNL2, also known as FRL3) profilin, a small abundant protein that (Diaphanous inhibitory domain) and a C- are also farnesylated and myristoylated, binds the majority of ATP–actin terminal DAD (Diaphanous autoregulatory respectively, which promotes their monomers in cells (Chang et al., 1997; domain) (see Poster) (Alberts, 2001; Li and membrane targeting (Chhabra et al., Imamura et al., 1997; Sagot et al., 2002b; Higgs, 2003; Otomo et al., 2005a; Rose 2009; Block et al., 2012). Moreover, Kovar et al., 2003; Kovar et al., 2005). et al., 2005; Otomo et al., 2010). DRFs are mDia1 and mDia2, as well as the plant The FH2 domain forms a ring-shaped Journal of Cell Science 126 (1) 3 anti-parallel dimer, in which the two contributions by their FH1 and FH2 perplexingly, Spire inhibits rather than halves are held together by interactions of domains, and the tail regions. enhances the nucleation activity of FMN ‘lasso’ and ‘post’ segments, generating a Although most formins promote actin in vitro (Quinlan et al., 2007; Vizcarra flexibly tethered dimer (Xu et al., 2004). nucleation and elongation, the strength of et al., 2011; Zeth et al., 2011), suggesting FH2 dimers bind with high affinity to the these activities can vary drastically. For that additional factors are required to barbed ends of actin filaments (Pruyne example, S. pombe Cdc12 is a potent activate collaborative actin assembly et al., 2002; Kovar et al., 2003; Zigmond, nucleator with a nucleation efficiency of through Spire–FMN.