Direct observation of oriented behavior of actin filaments interacting with desmin intermediate filaments

Associations between actin filaments (AFs) and intermediate filaments (IFs) are frequently observed in living cells. The crosstalk between these cytoskeletal components underpins cellular organization and dynamics; however, the molecular basis of filamentous interactions is not fully understood. Here, we describe the mode of interaction between AFs and desmin IFs (DIFs) in a reconstituted in vitro system.

AFs (rabbit skeletal muscle) and DIFs (chicken gizzard) were labeled with fluorescent dyes. DIFs were immobilized on a heavy meromyosin (HMM)-coated collodion surface. HMM-driven AFs with ATP hydrolysis was assessed in the presence of DIFs. Images of single filaments were obtained using fluorescence microscopy. Vector changes in the trajectories of single AFs were calculated from microscopy images.

AF speed transiently decreased upon contact with DIF. The difference between the incoming and outgoing angles of a moving AF broadened upon contact with a DIF. A smaller incoming angle tended to result in a smaller outgoing angle in a nematic manner. The percentage of moving AFs decreased with an increasing DIF density, but the speed of the moving AFs was similar to that in the no-desmin control. An abundance of DIFs tended to exclude AFs from the HMM-coated surfaces.

DIFs agitate the movement of AFs with the orientation. DIFs can bind to HMMs and weaken actin-myosin interactions.

The study indicates that apart from the binding strength, the accumulation of weak interactions characteristic of filamentous structures may affect the dynamic organization of cell architecture.