Bistability in filamentous actin through monomer-sequestration of an effector species

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Main Authors: Foteinopoulos, Panayiotis, Mulder, Bela M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Foteinopoulos, Panayiotis
Mulder, Bela M.
author_facet Foteinopoulos, Panayiotis
Mulder, Bela M.
contents Filamentous actin, a species of dynamic protein polymers, is one of the main components of the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells. We formulate a class of models that predict the possibility of bistable steady states in populations of dynamic actin filaments. They are built upon a basic model of actin dynamics that includes severing and capping in the presence of a finite actin monomer pool. The key additional ingredient is the presence of a single species of effector molecules that is partially sequestered to an inactive state by binding to free G-actin. In its unbound active state, this effector species can \emph{enhance} the rate of nucleation of filamentous actin or its growth speed, or \emph{inhibit} the activity of capping or severing proteins. Using an explicit analytical solution of the basic actin dynamics model, we show that bistability is predicted to occur in all of the proposed models. We verify these predictions using particle-based stochastic simulations. In addition, we show that switching between the two stable states can be achieved by transient manipulation of the free G-actin pool size.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_08886
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Bistability in filamentous actin through monomer-sequestration of an effector species
Foteinopoulos, Panayiotis
Mulder, Bela M.
Biomolecules
Biological Physics
Filamentous actin, a species of dynamic protein polymers, is one of the main components of the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells. We formulate a class of models that predict the possibility of bistable steady states in populations of dynamic actin filaments. They are built upon a basic model of actin dynamics that includes severing and capping in the presence of a finite actin monomer pool. The key additional ingredient is the presence of a single species of effector molecules that is partially sequestered to an inactive state by binding to free G-actin. In its unbound active state, this effector species can \emph{enhance} the rate of nucleation of filamentous actin or its growth speed, or \emph{inhibit} the activity of capping or severing proteins. Using an explicit analytical solution of the basic actin dynamics model, we show that bistability is predicted to occur in all of the proposed models. We verify these predictions using particle-based stochastic simulations. In addition, we show that switching between the two stable states can be achieved by transient manipulation of the free G-actin pool size.
title Bistability in filamentous actin through monomer-sequestration of an effector species
topic Biomolecules
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.08886