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Microtubule-dependent transport and dynamics of vimentin intermediate filaments

Caroline Hookway1, Liya Ding2, Michael W Davidson3

  • 1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611.

Molecular Biology of the Cell
|February 27, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Vimentin intermediate filaments are highly dynamic, rapidly transported along cellular tracks. They recompose via severing and reannealing, not subunit exchange, for network maintenance.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Vimentin intermediate filaments form crucial cellular networks.
  • Their dynamics, including transport and subunit exchange, are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dynamics of vimentin intermediate filament transport.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms of vimentin subunit exchange within filaments.

Main Methods:

  • Live-cell structured illumination microscopy for peripheral filament transport.
  • Photoconvertible-vimentin probe and total internal reflection microscopy for intracellular transport.
  • Long-term imaging post-photoconversion to study subunit dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Vimentin filaments undergo rapid bidirectional transport along linear tracks.
  • Transport is microtubule-dependent but independent of polymerization or APC interaction.
  • Subunits remain clustered, indicating recomposition via severing/reannealing, not uniform redistribution.

Conclusions:

  • Vimentin filaments are highly dynamic structures.
  • Filament transport is essential for maintaining the vimentin network.
  • Vimentin filaments do not depolymerize into subunits; they are assembled through severing and reannealing.

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