First published online November 18, 2003
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/jcs.00818
Podosome formation in cultured A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells requires Arp2/3-dependent de-novo actin polymerization at discrete microdomains
Irina Kaverina1,
Theresia E. B. Stradal2 and
Mario Gimona1,*
1 Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Cell Biology, Austrian Academy of Sciences; Billrothstrasse 11, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria
2 Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung (GBF), Department of Cell Biology, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany

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Fig. 1. Confocal analysis of the 3D structure of smooth muscle podosomes reveals a ring-like arrangement. (A) Three-dimensional structure of podosomes in a GFP-transfected cell fixed in 4% formaldehyde after 1 hour in 1 µM PDBu. Overview in phase contrast. Boxed areas 1, 2 and 3 show Nipkow disk confocal images of single podosomes, with GFP as cytoplasmic marker. X-Y frames show bottom confocal section. X-Y top frames show the uppermost confocal sections for each podosome. X-Z and Y-Z frames show vertical sections of the central regions of each podosome. Note the GFP-free area in the center of the cones in boxed areas 1 and 2, and the lack of such a zone in all X-Y top frames. (B) A living cell co-transfected with GFP and DsRed-SM22. Phase dense podosomes in the left panel (phase contrast) correspond to the hollow regions in ring-shaped GFP staining (arrows in middle panel). SM22 accumulates at the GFP-free zones in the center of these patches (right panel). (C) Nipkow disk confocal images of X-Y plane overview and X-Z planes of individual podosomes (in boxed areas) of a DsRed-SM22-transfected cell fixed in 4% formaldehyde. SM22 is present along the entire length along the middle axis of the podosome (boxed areas 4 and 5). (D,E) X-Z planes of single podosomes in GFP-p20-transfected cell as seen in a Nipkow disk confocal microscope. Arp2/3 is distributed along the middle axis of the podosomes, with decreasing density towards the dorsal cell surface.
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Fig. 3. Cortactin is enriched in specialized microdomains in unstimulated A7r5 cells. Even in the absence of PDBu, small clusters of cortactin can be observed at the microdomain bridging the interface between focal adhesions and actin stress fibers. The microdomains are characterized by the absence of Phalloidin decoration of actin filaments in this region. (A-C) Unstimulated cell (0 min). (D-F) Cell after 30 minutes in 1 µM PDBu. Note the dual localization of cortactin at the cell periphery in addition to the microdomains in C.
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Fig. 4. Arp2/3 engagement precedes translocation of SM22 to early sites of podosome formation. (A) DsRed SM22 and GFP-p20 co-transfected cells before (A) and after 40 minutes of 1 µM PDBu treatment (A'). Note the presence p20-rich dots in both panels. (B) Selected region of the PDBu-treated cell in A' showing p20 and SM22; merged image is shown in the left panel. SM22 is not concentrated in small p20 foci (large arrows), but co-localizes in larger, p20-positive patches proximal to stress fibers (small arrows). (C) Dynamics of GFP-p20 and DsRed-SM22 during a podosome life cycle. Time of PDBu treatment is indicated in minutes and seconds. Note that p20 is concentrated in the spot before, during and after SM22 accumulation.
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Fig. 5. Arp2/3-dependent actin polymerization is necessary for podosome formation but not for actin remodeling. (A) Formation of podosomes in PDBu-treated GFP-p20-expressing cells. Note the basal Arp2/3 clustering at time 0 and the increase in size of clusters in developing podosomes (arrows). (B) SCAR-WA and GFP-p20-co-expressing cell before and after PDBu treatment. The phase contrast image reveals the absence of lamellipodia despite the formation of extensive filopodia (black arrow). Note the lack of Arp2/3 clustering (arrowheads) and the absence of podosomes upon PDBu treatment. (C) Immunofluorescence images of cells treated with PDBu for 40 minutes. Ectopically expressed myc-tagged Scar domains are visualized by anti-myc antibody, and the actin cytoskeleton by phalloidin staining. The SCAR-WA transfected cell (1) displays no podosomes (arrowhead), while a non-transfected cell (2), and a cell transfected with the SCAR-W domain (3) develops numerous podosomes (arrows). (D) SCAR-WA and GFP-ß-actin co-transfected cells before (0') and after 45 minutes of PDBu treatment. Actin stress fibers undergo substantial remodeling and disassembly in response to PDBu (arrowhead) despite the lack of podosomes. (E) SCAR-WA and GFP-zyxin co-transfected cells before (0') and after 45 minutes of PDBu treatment. Focal adhesions are partially disassembled (arrowheads) and zyxin redistributes into the cytoplasmic pool. Fl, epifluorescence; Ph, phase contrast.
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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2003