Synergistic assembly, disassembly, and protection of complex forms of bundled F-actin
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Actin's transition from monomers (G-actin) to polymers (F-actin) and then into bundled and branched networks underlies many cellular and system functions. Yet, how these networks are dynamically assembled and disassembled is incompletely understood-including why F-actin is often simultaneously and redundantly bundled by different proteins. Here, we focus on fascin and espin, two bundlers that often coexist and robustly bundle F-actin. We find that they synergistically bundle F-actin compared to equal amounts of each one alone. However, we show that bundles containing these two proteins are robustly destabilized by a synergism between Mical and cofilin, indicating mechanisms of how complex bundles are disassembled and remodeled. Yet, our results also reveal that together fascin and espin protect F-actin from this disassembly more effectively than each one alone-including to regulate F-actin disassembly and cellular remodeling in vivo. These findings reveal mechanisms for assembling and disassembling complex networks of bundled F-actin, including a synergism between different bundlers and disassemblers in these processes.
Source: The Journal of Cell Biology
Language: English
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: Yale University, Northwestern University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, National Institutes of Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Feinberg School of Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
OpenAlex ID: W7166828234