title: A conserved mechanism for Bni1- and mDia1-induced actin assembly and dual regulation of Bni1 by Bud6 and profilin.
abstract: Formins have conserved roles in cell polarity and cytokinesis and directly nucleate actin filament assembly through their FH2 domain. Here, we define the active region of the yeast formin Bni1 FH2 domain and show that it dimerizes. Mutations that disrupt dimerization abolish actin assembly activity, suggesting that dimers are the active state of FH2 domains. The Bni1 FH2 domain protects growing barbed ends of actin filaments from vast excesses of capping protein, suggesting that the dimer maintains a persistent association during elongation. This is not a species-specific mechanism, as the activities of purified mammalian formin mDia1 are identical to those of Bni1. Further, mDia1 partially complements BNI1 function in vivo, and expression of a dominant active mDia1 construct in yeast causes similar phenotypes to dominant active Bni1 constructs. In addition, we purified the Bni1-interacting half of the cell polarity factor Bud6 and found that it binds specifically to actin monomers and, like profilin, promotes rapid nucleotide exchange on actin. Bud6 and profilin show additive stimulatory effects on Bni1 activity and have a synthetic lethal genetic interaction in vivo. From these results, we propose a model in which Bni1 FH2 dimers nucleate and processively cap the elongating barbed end of the actin filament, and Bud6 and profilin generate a local flux of ATP-actin monomers to promote actin assembly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and The Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA.
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Moseley
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sagot
authors.forename: Amity L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Manning
authors.forename: Yingwu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Eck
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pellman
authors.forename: Bruce L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Goode
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D019281:Dimerization; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D051304:Profilins; D011485:Protein Binding; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C107727:BUD6 protein, S cerevisiae; C105191:Bni1 protein, S cerevisiae; C086662:CDC3 protein, S cerevisiae; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D051304:Profilins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate