Arp2/3 complex and cofilin modulate binding of tropomyosin to branched actin networks.

Tropomyosins are coiled-coil proteins that bind actin filaments and regulate multiple cytoskeletal functions, including actin network dynamics near the leading edge of motile cells. Previous work demonstrated that tropomyosins inhibit actin nucleation by the Arp2/3 complex and prevent filament disassembly by cofilin. We find that the Arp2/3 complex and cofilin, in turn, regulate the binding of tropomyosin to actin filaments. Using fluorescence microscopy, we show that tropomyosin (non-muscle Drosophila Tm1A) polymerizes along actin filaments, starting from "nuclei" that appear preferentially on ADP-bound regions of the filament, near the pointed end. Tropomyosin fails to bind dendritic actin networks created in vitro by the Arp2/3 complex, in part because the Arp2/3 complex blocks pointed ends. Cofilin promotes phosphate dissociation and severs filaments, generating new pointed ends and rendering Arp2/3-generated networks competent to bind tropomyosin. Tropomyosin's attraction to pointed ends reflects a strong preference for conformations localized to that region of the filament and reveals a basic molecular mechanism by which lamellipodial actin networks are insulated from the effects of tropomyosin.

Multiple mechanisms determine the order of APC/C substrate degradation in mitosis.

The ubiquitin protein ligase anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) controls mitosis by promoting ordered degradation of securin, cyclins, and other proteins. The mechanisms underlying the timing of APC/C substrate degradation are poorly understood. We explored these mechanisms using quantitative fluorescence microscopy of GFP-tagged APC/C(Cdc20) substrates in living budding yeast cells. Degradation of the S cyclin, Clb5, begins early in mitosis, followed 6 min later by the degradation of securin and Dbf4. Anaphase begins when less than half of securin is degraded. The spindle assembly checkpoint delays the onset of Clb5 degradation but does not influence securin degradation. Early Clb5 degradation depends on its interaction with the Cdk1-Cks1 complex and the presence of a Cdc20-binding "ABBA motif" in its N-terminal region. The degradation of securin and Dbf4 is delayed by Cdk1-dependent phosphorylation near their Cdc20-binding sites. Thus, a remarkably diverse array of mechanisms generates robust ordering of APC/C(Cdc20) substrate destruction.