April 9, 2021, 1:00pm Via Zoom, link below
Derek Applewhite
Associate Professor
Biology Department
Reed College (Portland, OR)
Will present a talk titled:
The Drosophila spectraplankin Short stop integrates cell-matrix
adhesion during cell migration
Abstract: The spectraplakin family of proteins includes ACF7/MACF1 and BPAG1/dystonin in mammals, VAB-10 in C. elegans, Magellan in zebrafish, and Short stop (Shot), the sole Drosophila member. Spectraplakins are giant cytoskeletal associated proteins that can bind actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments and thus are positioned to coordinate the activity
of the entire cytoskeletal network. Fittingly, spectraplakins have been implicated in the regulation of cell migration where they help maintain coordination between actin and growing microtubules. In this study, we examined the role of Shot during cell migration using two systems: the in vitro migration of Drosophila derived tissue culture cells, and in vivo through the migration of border cells. We find that RNAi depletion of Shot increases the rate of random cell migration in two different Drosophila tissue culture cell lines as well as the rate of wound closure during scratch-wound assays. This increase in cell migration prompted us to analyze focal
adhesion dynamics as cell-matrix adhesion plays a critical role in regulating cell migration speeds. We found that the rates of focal adhesion assembly and disassembly were faster in Shot depleted cells as compared to control treatments. Furthermore, this regulation of focal adhesion dynamics may be dependent on Shot being in an open confirmation. Finally, using
Drosophila border cells as an in vivo model for cell migration we found that RNAi depletion also led to precocious border cell migration as compared to staged controls. Collectively, these results suggest that spectraplakins not only function to cross-link the cytoskeleton but may also regulate cell-matrix adhesion.
Date: 9 April 2021
Time: 1:00 pm
Zoom Link: https://clarkson.zoom.us/j/94294231666?pwd=OVdLNzlKWXlDUzhmYmhnRXFkRTZjdz09
Meeting ID: 942 9423 1666
Passcode: 960832
