Interactions among endoplasmic reticulum, microtubules, and retrograde movements of the cell surface

Relationships among the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), microtubules, and bead movements on the cell surface were investigated in the thin peripheral region of A6 cells, a frog kidney cell line. ER tubules were often aligned with microtubules, as shown by double-labeling with DiOC6(3) and anti-tubulin in fixed cells. In living cells stained with DiOC6(3) and observed in time lapse, there were frequent extensions, but few retractions, of ER tubules. In addition, there was a steady retrograde (towards the cell center) movement of all of the ER at approximately 0.3 microns/min. Since microtubules are often aligned with the ER, microtubules must also be moving retrogradely. By simultaneous imaging, it was found that the ER moves retrogradely at the same rate as aminated latex beads on the cell surface. This indicates that the mechanisms for ER and bead movement are closely related. Cytochalasin B stopped bead and ER movement in most of the cells, providing evidence that actin is involved in both retrograde movements. The ER retracted towards the cell center in nocodazole while both ER and microtubules retracted in taxol. Time lapse observations showed that for both drugs, the retraction of the ER is the result of retrograde movement in the absence of new ER extensions. Presumably, ER extensions do not occur in nocodazole because of the absence of microtubules, and do not occur in taxol because taxol-stabilized microtubules move retrogradely and there is no polymerization of new microtubule tracks for ER elongation.