Cortactin promotes exosome secretion by controlling branched actin dynamics.

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that influence cellular behavior and enhance cancer aggressiveness by carrying bioactive molecules. The mechanisms that regulate exosome secretion are poorly understood. Here, we show that the actin cytoskeletal regulatory protein cortactin promotes exosome secretion. Knockdown or overexpression of cortactin in cancer cells leads to a respective decrease or increase in exosome secretion, without altering exosome cargo content. Live-cell imaging revealed that cortactin controls both trafficking and plasma membrane docking of multivesicular late endosomes (MVEs). Regulation of exosome secretion by cortactin requires binding to the branched actin nucleating Arp2/3 complex and to actin filaments. Furthermore, cortactin, Rab27a, and coronin 1b coordinately control stability of cortical actin MVE docking sites and exosome secretion. Functionally, the addition of purified exosomes to cortactin-knockdown cells rescued defects of those cells in serum-independent growth and invasion. These data suggest a model in which cortactin promotes exosome secretion by stabilizing cortical actin-rich MVE docking sites.

Stabilization of actin bundles by a dynamin 1/cortactin ring complex is necessary for growth cone filopodia.

Dynamin GTPase, a key molecule in endocytosis, mechanically severs the invaginated membrane upon GTP hydrolysis. Dynamin functions also in regulating actin cytoskeleton, but the mechanisms are yet to be defined. Here we show that dynamin 1, a neuronal isoform of dynamin, and cortactin form ring complexes, which twine around F-actin bundles and stabilize them. By negative-staining EM, dynamin 1-cortactin complexes appeared as "open" or "closed" rings depending on guanine nucleotide conditions. By pyrene actin assembly assay, dynamin 1 stimulated actin assembly in mouse brain cytosol. In vitro incubation of F-actin with both dynamin 1 and cortactin led to the formation of long and thick actin bundles, on which dynamin 1 and cortactin were periodically colocalized in puncta. A depolymerization assay revealed that dynamin 1 and cortactin increased the stability of actin bundles, most prominently in the presence of GTP. In rat cortical neurons and human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y, both dynamin 1 and cortactin localized on actin filaments and the bundles at growth cone filopodia as revealed by immunoelectron microscopy. In SH-SY5Y cell, acute inhibition of dynamin 1 by application of dynamin inhibitor led to growth cone collapse. Cortactin knockdown also reduced growth cone filopodia. Together, our results strongly suggest that dynamin 1 and cortactin ring complex mechanically stabilizes F-actin bundles in growth cone filopodia. Thus, the GTPase-dependent mechanochemical enzyme property of dynamin is commonly used both in endocytosis and regulation of F-actin bundles by a dynamin 1-cortactin complex.

Actin filament organization of foot processes in vertebrate glomerular podocytes.

We investigated the actin filament organization and immunolocalization of actin-binding proteins (alpha-actinin and cortactin) in the podocyte foot processes of eight vertebrate species (lamprey, carp, newt, frog, gecko, turtle, quail, and rat). Three types of actin cytoskeleton were found in these foot processes. (1) A cortical actin network with cortactin filling the space between the plasma membrane and the other actin cytoskeletons described below was found in all of the species examined here. The data indicated that the cortical actin network was the minimal essential actin cytoskeleton for the formation and maintenance of the foot processes in vertebrate podocytes. (2) An actin bundle with alpha-actinin existing along the longitudinal axis of foot process above the level of slit diaphragms was only observed in quail and rat. (3) An actin fascicle consisting of much fewer numbers of actin filaments than that of the actin bundle was observed in the species other than quail and rat, but at various frequencies. These findings suggest that the actin bundle is an additional actin cytoskeleton reflecting a functional state peculiar to quail and rat glomeruli. Considering the higher intraglomerular pressure and the extremely thin filtration barrier in birds and mammals, the foot processes probably mainly protect the thinner filtration barrier from the higher internal pressure occurring in quail and rat glomeruli. Therefore, we consider that the actin bundle plays a crucial role in the mechanical protection of the filtration barrier. Moreover, the actin fascicle may be a potential precursor of the actin bundle.