Stimulus-dependent disorganization of actin filaments induced by overexpression of cofilin in C2 myoblasts

Actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin is a widely distributed family of actin-binding proteins which regulate actin polymerization in a pH-dependent manner. In cultured cells, cofilin, as well as ADF, translocates from the cytoplasm into the nucleus together with actin and forms rod-like structures in response to heat shock or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) treatment. In order to study in vivo interaction of cofilin with actin, we examined the effects of cofilin overexpression on actin cytoskeleton in C2 myoblasts. Interestingly, no remarkable effect was observed on phalloidin-stained patterns in cells overexpressing cofilin as compared with normal cells. However, upon treatment with DMSO, cytoplasmic actin filaments were disrupted and intranuclear rod structures containing cofilin and actin were apparently larger and thicker in cells overexpressing cofilin than in normal cells. Heat shock also stimulated disruption of microfilaments and formation of both intranuclear and prominent cytoplasmic cofilin-actin rods in cofilin-transfected cells, suggesting that DMSO-treatment or heat shock triggers cofilin-actin interaction. We further found that a myosin ATPase inhibitor (BDM) induced a reduction in cytoplasmic staining with phalloidin in cofilin-transfected cells. The results suggest that myosin activity might be involved in the regulation of cofilin-actin interactions in vivo.