Blebbistatin and blebbistatin-inactivated myosin II inhibit myosin II-independent processes in Dictyostelium.

ABSTRACT: Blebbistatin, a cell-permeable inhibitor of class-II myosins, was developed to provide a tool for studying the biologic roles of myosin II. Consistent with this use, we find that blebbistatin inhibits three myosin II-dependent processes in Dictyostelium (growth in suspension culture, capping of Con A receptors, and development to fruiting bodies) and does not inhibit growth on plates, which does not require myosin II. As expected, macropinocytosis (myosin I-dependent), contractile vacuole activity (myosin V-dependent), and phagocytosis (myosin VII-dependent), none of which requires myosin II, are not inhibited by blebbistatin in myosin II-null cells, but, unexpectedly, blebbistatin does inhibit macropinocytosis and phagocytosis by cells expressing myosin II. Expression of catalytically ina

SUBMITTER: Shu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC547870 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature