Dynamics of triton‐insoluble and triton‐soluble F‐actin pools in calcium‐activated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes: Evidence for regulation by gelsolin

Abstract

Gelsolin, a Ca⁺⁺ activated, 90 kd actin binding protein, can regulate actin polymerization in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) via severing of filaments to dissolve gels or by capping of filament ends to limit polymerization. In Triton-lysed PMNs, 30% of gelsolin is bound to the Triton-soluble F-actin (TSF) pool and none is bound to the Triton-insoluble F-actin (TIF) pool. Calcium-activated PMNs exhibit concurrent temporal and quantitative TIF growth and TSF and total F-actin loss. To determine if gelsolin plays a role in regulating TSF pool size, we monitored gelsolin-actin interactions and TIF, TSF and G-actin content at 5 second intervals in PMNs activated with the calcium ionophore, ionomycin. Actin pools were measured by NBDphallacidin binding and by gel scans and expressed relative to basal; gelsolin-actin interactions were measured as change in the amount of EGTA-resistant gelsolin:actin (G:A) complexes and by immunoblot quantification of gelsolin in actin pools. In basal PMNs, 33% of PMN gelsolin is bound in 1:1 EGTA-resistant G:A complexes and TSF and TIF retain 30% and 0% of PMN gelsolin, respectively. By 20 seconds after ionomycin addition, TSF decreases, TIF increases and a fraction of gelsolin repartitions from the TSF to the TIF pool. At maximum change (60 seconds), total F-actin (TIF + TSF) and TSF decrease and TIF increases by 25%; gelsolin is bound to both TSF and TIF (35% of total gelsolin in each pool), and 1:1 EGTA-resistant G:A complexes increase from 33% to 70%. No changes occur in cells activated by ionomycin in the absence of Ca⁺⁺. The data show Ca⁺⁺ activated TIF growth and TSF loss are temporally and quantitatively associated with an increase in the percent of gelsolin bound to actin and the translocation of gelsolin from TSF to TIF. This is unique, since no other PMN activator is known to repartition gelsolin into TIF actin. Further, the Ca⁺⁺ activated initial increase in TIF concurrent with a fall in TSF without a change in total F-actin or G-actin content suggest that TIF grows initially only by TSF annealing/cross-linking to TIF. Gelsolin may regulate these events.