ISSN:
0886-1544
Keywords:
amoeboid movement
;
endocytosis
;
cation composition
;
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
To study the in vivo role of myosin-II in Acanthamoeba castellanii, motile cells were microinjected with monoclonal antibodies raised against the myosin-II heavy chain. All injected cells underwent a transient shock response. It was found that although injection of buffer alone or of an endogenous Acanthamoeba protein decreased the motility of injected cells from 7 μm/min to ∼3 μm/min, injection of monoclonal antibodies specific for myosin-II decreased motility further to ∼0.8 μm/min. This effect was seen whether or not the monoclonal antibody to myosin-II inhibited the actomyosin-II MgATPase activity in vitro. Levels of antibody far in excess of endogenous myosin-II concentrations could not completely block amoeboid movement. The morphology of moving antimyosin-II-injected cells was unusual, suggesting a greater defect in the ability to retract the trailing edge of the cell rather than to extend the leading edge. Endosomes frequently disappeared from injected cells, and although buffer-injected cells rapidly recovered visible endosomes (50% recovery at 5 min), endosomes were not seen in antimyosin-II-injected cells until, on the average, ∼50 min after injection. Injection of a nonspecific antibody or of a nonspecific exogenous protein (ovalbumin) also decreased the mobility of the injected cells beyond that of buffer-injected cells (to ∼1 μm/min). These cells tended to recover endosomes more rapidly (∼25 min) than cells injected with antimyosin-II monoclonal antibodies. The inability of antibodies to myosin-II to inhibit completely any of the movements studied suggests that although myosin-II probably plays a role in these motilities, the cell either routinely uses or can draw upon another cytoplasmic motor to maintain locomotion, organelle movement, contractile vacuole activity, and endocytosis.
Additional Material:
5 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cm.970120106
