Phosphorylation at Y1065 in vinculin mediates actin bundling, cell spreading, and mechanical responses to force

Vinculin is an essential structural adaptor protein that localizes to sites of adhesion and is involved in a number of cell processes including adhesion, spreading, motility, force transduction, and cell survival. The C-terminal vinculin tail domain (Vt) contains the necessary structural components to bind and cross-link actin filaments. Actin binding to Vt induces a conformational change that promotes dimerization through the C-terminal hairpin of Vt and enables actin filament cross-linking. Here we show that Src phosphorylation of Y1065 within the C-terminal hairpin regulates Vt-mediated actin bundling and provide a detailed characterization of Y1065 mutations. Furthermore, we show that phosphorylation at Y1065 plays a role in cell spreading and the response to the application of mechanical force.