Rab27a co-ordinates actin-dependent transport by controlling organelle-associated motors and track assembly proteins

Alzahofi, Noura; Welz, Tobias; Robinson, Christopher L.; Page, Emma L.; Briggs, Deborah A.; Stainthorp, Amy K.; Reekes, James; Elbe, David A.; Straub, Felix; Kallemeijn, Wouter W.; Tate, Edward W.; Goff, Philip S.; Sviderskaya, Elena V.; Cantero, Marta; Montoliu, Lluis; Nedelec, Francois; Miles, Amanda K.; Bailly, Maryse; Kerkhoff, Eugen; Hume, Alistair N.

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s). Cell biologists generally consider that microtubules and actin play complementary roles in long- and short-distance transport in animal cells. On the contrary, using melanosomes of melanocytes as a model, we recently discovered that the motor protein myosin-Va works with dynamic actin tracks to drive long-range organelle dispersion in opposition to microtubules. This suggests that in animals, as in yeast and plants, myosin/actin can drive long-range transport. Here, we show that the SPIRE-type actin nucleators (predominantly SPIRE1) are Rab27a effectors that co-operate with formin-1 to generate actin tracks required for myosin-Va-dependent transport in melanocytes. Thus, in addition to melanophilin/myosin-Va, Rab27a can recruit SPIREs to melanosomes, thereby integrating motor and track assembly activity at the organelle membrane. Based on this, we suggest a model in which organelles and force generators (motors and track assemblers) are linked, forming an organelle-based, cell-wide network that allows their collective activity to rapidly disperse the population of organelles long-distance throughout the cytoplasm.

Citation

Alzahofi, N., Welz, T., Robinson, C. L., Page, E. L., Briggs, D. A., Stainthorp, A. K., …Hume, A. N. (2020). Rab27a co-ordinates actin-dependent transport by controlling organelle-associated motors and track assembly proteins. Nature Communications, 11(1), Article 3495. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17212-6

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 4, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jul 13, 2020
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 13, 2020
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 3495
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17212-6
• Keywords: General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Physics and Astronomy; General Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4618770
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17212-6