Barcoding the Actin Track: Differential Regulation of Myosin Motors by Tropomyosin Joseph Emerson Clayton University of Vermont
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University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2016 Barcoding the actin track: Differential regulation of myosin motors by tropomyosin Joseph Emerson Clayton University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Part of the Molecular Biology Commons Recommended Citation Clayton, Joseph Emerson, "Barcoding the actin track: Differential regulation of myosin motors by tropomyosin" (2016). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 638. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/638 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BARCODING THE ACTIN TRACK: DIFFERENTIAL REGULATION OF MYOSIN MOTORS BY TROPOMYOSIN A Dissertation Presented by Joseph E. Clayton to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Specializing in Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences October, 2016 Defense Date: June 10, 2016 Dissertation Examination Committee: Teresa Ruiz, Ph.D., Advisor Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., Chairperson David Warshaw, Ph.D. Jason Stumpff, Ph.D. Cynthia J. Forehand, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College ABSTRACT Myosins and tropomyosins represent two types of actin filament-associated proteins that often work together in contractile and motile processes in the cell. While the role of thin filament troponin-tropomyosin complexes in regulating striated muscle myosin II is well characterized, the role of tropomyosins in non-muscle myosin regulation is not well understood. Fission yeast has recently proved to be a useful model with which to study regulation of myosin motors by tropomyosin owing to its tractable genetics, well-defined actin cytoskeleton, and established actin biochemistry. A hallmark of type V myosins is their processivity – the ability to take multiple steps along actin filaments without dissociating. However, the fission yeast type V myosin (Myo52) is a nonprocessive motor whose activity is enhanced by the sole fission yeast tropomyosin (Cdc8). The molecular mechanism and physiological relevance of tropomyosin-mediated regulation of Myo52 transport was investigated using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches. Single molecules of Myo52, visualized by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, moved processively only when Cdc8 was present on actin filaments. Small ensembles of Myo52 bound to a quantum dot, mimicking the number of motors bound to physiological cargo, also required Cdc8 for continuous motion. Although a truncated form of Myo52 that lacked a cargo-binding domain failed to support function in vivo, it still underwent actin- dependent movement to polarized growth sites. This result suggests that truncated Myo52 lacking cargo, or single molecules of wild-type Myo52 with small cargoes, can undergo processive movement along actin-Cdc8 cables in vivo. These findings outline a mechanism by which tropomyosin facilitates sorting of transport to specific actin tracks within the cell by switching on myosin processivity. To understand the broader implications of actomyosin regulation by tropomyosin we examined the role of two mammalian tropomyosins (Tpm3.1 and Tpm4.2) recently implicated in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. As previously observed with Cdc8, Tpm3.1 and Tpm4.2 isoforms significantly enhance non-muscle myosin II (Myo2). Additionally, the mammalian tropomyosins enable Myo52 processive movement along actin tracks. In contrast to the positive regulation of Myo2 and Myo52, Cdc8 and the mammalian tropomyosins potently inhibit skeletal muscle myosin II, while having negligible effects on the highly processive mammalian myosin- Va. Thus, different motor outputs favoring functional specification within the same myosin class are possible in the presence of certain tropomyosins. In support of a conserved role for certain tropomyosins in regulating non-muscle actomyosin structures, Tpm3.1 rescued normal contractile ring dynamics, cytokinesis, and fission yeast cell growth in the absence of functional Cdc8. This work has broad implications with regard to regulation of non-muscle and muscle actomyosin function in complex cellular environments such as developing muscle tissue and metastatic cancer cells. CITATIONS Material from this dissertation has been published in the following form: Clayton, J. E., Pollard, L. W., Murray, G. G., & Lord, M.. (2015). Myosin motor isoforms direct specification of actomyosin function by tropomyosins. Cytoskeleton. 72(3), 131-145. Clayton, J. E., Pollard, L. W., Sckolnick, M., Bookwalter, C. S., Hodges, A. R., Trybus, K. M., & Lord, M.. (2014). Fission yeast tropomyosin specifies directed transport of myosin-V along actin cables. Mol Biol Cell, 25(1), 66-75. ii DEDICATION This is dedicated to my parents, who have never wavered in their love and support. And to Diana, Caroline, and Wilder, who make everything brighter. With all my love – thank you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to my advisors, Dr. Matt Lord, for the experience and training I gained while working in his lab, and Dr. Teresa Ruiz, for the support and guidance that got me across the finish line. I also want to thank my committee members, Dr. Karen Lounsbury, Dr. David Warshaw, and Dr. Jason Stumpff for all of the thoughtful discussions and advice. Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Department, and everyone who has contributed to the work presented in this dissertation. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CITATIONS ........................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ....................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................1 Actin ...................................................................................................................2 Actin Polymerization ...................................................................................4 Actin filament structure ...............................................................................6 Myosin Motors ...................................................................................................7 Myosin Structure ........................................................................................10 of Type V Myosins ....................................................................................11 Tropomyosin ....................................................................................................13 Tropomyosin Expression and Localization ...............................................14 Functional Roles of Tropomyosin .............................................................18 Role of Tropomyosin During Development ..............................................20 Involvement of Tropomyosin in Cancer ....................................................21 The Benefits of Using Fission Yeast to Study the Actin Cytoskeleton ...........23 Scope and Purpose ...........................................................................................24 CHAPTER 2: FISSION YEAST TROPOMYOSIN SPECIFIES DIRECTED TRANSPORT OF MYOSIN-V ALONG ACTIN CABLES ................................28 Abstract ............................................................................................................29 Introduction ......................................................................................................30 Results ..............................................................................................................32 Fission Yeast Tropomyosin Converts Myo52p into a Processive Motor....................................................................................................32 Tropomyosin Increases Myo52p Run Frequency and Run Length at Low ATP Concentration ......................................................................34 Myo52p Motors Work in Small Clusters that Rely on Tropomyosin for Effective Transport ..............................................................................35 Myo52p Molecules Lacking a Cargo-Binding Domain Undergo Continuous Motility Along Actin Cables In Vivo ...............................37 v Discussion ........................................................................................................39 Tropomyosin Promotes Myo52p Processivity by Altering The Kinetics of the Motor .........................................................................................39 Alternative Modes of Cdc8p Regulation and Their Relationship to Established Models ..............................................................................41 Materials and Methods .....................................................................................43 Fission Yeast Strains and Genetic Approaches .........................................43