Cofilin-2 controls actin filament length in muscle sarcomeres

Dev Cell. 2014 Oct 27;31(2):215-26. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2014.09.002.

Abstract

ADF/cofilins drive cytoskeletal dynamics by promoting the disassembly of "aged" ADP-actin filaments. Mammals express several ADF/cofilin isoforms, but their specific biochemical activities and cellular functions have not been studied in detail. Here, we demonstrate that the muscle-specific isoform cofilin-2 promotes actin filament disassembly in sarcomeres to control the precise length of thin filaments in the contractile apparatus. In contrast to other isoforms, cofilin-2 efficiently binds and disassembles both ADP- and ATP/ADP-Pi-actin filaments. We mapped surface-exposed cofilin-2-specific residues required for ATP-actin binding and propose that these residues function as an "actin nucleotide-state sensor" among ADF/cofilins. The results suggest that cofilin-2 evolved specific biochemical and cellular properties that allow it to control actin dynamics in sarcomeres, where filament pointed ends may contain a mixture of ADP- and ATP/ADP-Pi-actin subunits. Our findings also offer a rationale for why cofilin-2 mutations in humans lead to myopathies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actin Cytoskeleton / metabolism
  • Actin Cytoskeleton / physiology*
  • Actins / metabolism
  • Adenosine Diphosphate / analogs & derivatives
  • Adenosine Diphosphate / metabolism
  • Adenosine Triphosphate / analogs & derivatives
  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cofilin 1 / genetics
  • Cofilin 2 / genetics
  • Cofilin 2 / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Muscle Contraction / physiology*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / physiology*
  • Protein Binding
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Rats
  • Sarcomeres / physiology*
  • Sequence Alignment

Substances

  • ADP-G-actin
  • ATP-G-actin
  • Actins
  • Cofilin 1
  • Cofilin 2
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Adenosine Diphosphate
  • Adenosine Triphosphate