Extent of myosin penetration within the actin cortex regulates cell surface mechanics

Binh An Truong Quang, Ruby Peters, Davide A. D. Cassani, Priyamvada Chugh, Andrew G. Clark, Meghan Agnew, Guillaume Charras and Ewa K. Paluch ()
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Binh An Truong Quang: University College London
Ruby Peters: University of Cambridge
Davide A. D. Cassani: University College London
Priyamvada Chugh: University College London
Andrew G. Clark: University College London
Meghan Agnew: University College London
Guillaume Charras: University College London
Ewa K. Paluch: University College London

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract In animal cells, shape is mostly determined by the actomyosin cortex, a thin cytoskeletal network underlying the plasma membrane. Myosin motors generate tension in the cortex, and tension gradients result in cellular deformations. As such, many cell morphogenesis studies have focused on the mechanisms controlling myosin activity and recruitment to the cortex. Here, we demonstrate using super-resolution microscopy that myosin does not always overlap with actin at the cortex, but remains restricted towards the cytoplasm in cells with low cortex tension. We propose that this restricted penetration results from steric hindrance, as myosin minifilaments are considerably larger than the cortical actin meshsize. We identify myosin activity and actin network architecture as key regulators of myosin penetration into the cortex, and show that increasing myosin penetration increases cortical tension. Our study reveals that the spatial coordination of myosin and actin at the cortex regulates cell surface mechanics, and unveils an important mechanism whereby myosin size controls its action by limiting minifilament penetration into the cortical actin network. More generally, our findings suggest that protein size could regulate function in dense cytoskeletal structures.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26611-2

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