IQGAP1, a Rac- and Cdc42-binding protein, directly binds and cross-links microfilaments.
Activated forms of the GTPases, Rac and Cdc42, are known to stimulate formation of microfilament-rich lamellipodia and filopodia, respectively, but the underlying mechanisms have remained obscure. We now report the purification and characterization of a protein, IQGAP1, which is likely to mediate effects of these GTPases on microfilaments. Native IQGAP1 purified from bovine adrenal comprises two approximately 190-kD subunits per molecule plus substoichiometric calmodulin. Purified IQGAP1 bound directly to F-actin and cross-linked the actin filaments into irregular, interconnected bundles that exhibited gel-like properties. Exogenous calmodulin partially inhibited binding of IQGAP1 to F-actin, and was more effective in the absence, than in the presence of calcium. Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated cytochalasin D-sensitive colocalization of IQGAP1 with cortical microfilaments. These results, in conjunction with prior evidence that IQGAP1 binds directly to activated Rac and Cdc42, suggest that IQGAP1 serves as a direct molecular link between these GTPases and the actin cytoskeleton, and that the actin-binding activity of IQGAP1 is regulated by calmodulin.
Bashour
A M
AM
Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75235, USA.
Fullerton
A T
AT
Hart
M J
MJ
Bloom
G S
GS
D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins
D002147:Calmodulin; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C101203:IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 1; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins