ActuAtor, a Listeria-inspired molecular tool for physical manipulation of intracellular organizations through de novo actin polymerization.

ABSTRACT: Form and function are often interdependent throughout biology. Inside cells, mitochondria have particularly attracted attention since both their morphology and functionality are altered under pathophysiological conditions. However, directly assessing their causal relationship has been beyond reach due to the limitations of manipulating mitochondrial morphology in a physiologically relevant manner. By engineering a bacterial actin regulator, ActA, we developed tools termed "ActuAtor" that inducibly trigger actin polymerization at arbitrary subcellular locations. The ActuAtor-mediated actin polymerization drives striking deformation and/or movement of target organelles, including mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, and nucleus. Notably, ActuAtor operation also disperses non-membrane-bound entitie

SUBMITTER: Nakamura H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10872831 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature