Transportation of nanoscale cargoes by myosin propelled actin filaments

PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e55931. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055931. Epub 2013 Feb 21.

Abstract

Myosin II propelled actin filaments move ten times faster than kinesin driven microtubules and are thus attractive candidates as cargo-transporting shuttles in motor driven lab-on-a-chip devices. In addition, actomyosin-based transportation of nanoparticles is useful in various fundamental studies. However, it is poorly understood how actomyosin function is affected by different number of nanoscale cargoes, by cargo size, and by the mode of cargo-attachment to the actin filament. This is studied here using biotin/fluorophores, streptavidin, streptavidin-coated quantum dots, and liposomes as model cargoes attached to monomers along the actin filaments ("side-attached") or to the trailing filament end via the plus end capping protein CapZ. Long-distance transportation (>100 µm) could be seen for all cargoes independently of attachment mode but the fraction of motile filaments decreased with increasing number of side-attached cargoes, a reduction that occurred within a range of 10-50 streptavidin molecules, 1-10 quantum dots or with just 1 liposome. However, as observed by monitoring these motile filaments with the attached cargo, the velocity was little affected. This also applied for end-attached cargoes where the attachment was mediated by CapZ. The results with side-attached cargoes argue against certain models for chemomechanical energy transduction in actomyosin and give important insights of relevance for effective exploitation of actomyosin-based cargo-transportation in molecular diagnostics and other nanotechnological applications. The attachment of quantum dots via CapZ, without appreciable modulation of actomyosin function, is useful in fundamental studies as exemplified here by tracking with nanometer accuracy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actin Cytoskeleton / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Biological Transport
  • Biotinylation
  • CapZ Actin Capping Protein / metabolism
  • Liposomes / metabolism
  • Myosin Subfragments / metabolism
  • Myosins / metabolism*
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Quantum Dots
  • Rabbits
  • Staining and Labeling
  • Streptavidin / metabolism

Substances

  • CapZ Actin Capping Protein
  • Liposomes
  • Myosin Subfragments
  • Streptavidin
  • Myosins

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Carl Trygger Foundation, the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2011) under grant agreement number 228971 (MONAD), the Swedish Research Council (Project #621-2007-6137 and #621-210-5146), the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering at Linnaeus University and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO-VIDI Grant 700.57.427 to AK). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.