Talin and vinculin combine their activities to trigger actin assembly

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Focal adhesions (FAs) strengthen their link with the actin cytoskeleton to resist force. Talin-vinculin association could reinforce actin anchoring to FAs by controlling actin polymerization. However, the actin polymerization activity of the talin-vinculin complex is not known because it requires the reconstitution of the mechanical and biochemical activation steps that control the association of talin and vinculin. By combining kinetic and binding assays with single actin filament observations in TIRF microscopy, we show that the association of talin and vinculin mutants, mimicking mechanically stretched talin and activated vinculin, triggers a sequential mechanism in which filaments are nucleated, capped and released to elongate. In agreement with these observations, FRAP experiments in cells co-expressing the same constitutive mutants of talin and vinculin revealed accelerated growth of stress fibers. Our findings suggest a versatile mechanism for the regulation of actin assembly in FAs subjected to various combinations of biochemical and mechanical cues.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53859-1

Authors: Hong Wang, Rayan Said, Clémence Nguyen-Vigouroux, Véronique Henriot, Peter Gebhardt, Julien Pernier, Robert Grosse, Christophe Le Clainche

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Freiburg, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule, CEA Paris-Saclay

Language: English

Topic: Cellular Mechanics and Interactions

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,790

Funders: Infrastructures en Biologie Santé et Agronomie, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, China Scholarship Council

OpenAlex ID: W4404009128