Clathrin assemblies at a glance.

Clathrin assembles into honeycomb-like lattices at the plasma membrane but also on internal membranes, such as at the Golgi and tubular endosomes. Clathrin assemblies primarily regulate the intracellular trafficking of different cargoes, but clathrin also has non-endocytic functions in cell adhesion through interactions with specific integrins, contributes to intraluminal vesicle formation by forming flat bilayered coats on endosomes and even assembles on kinetochore k-fibers during mitosis. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we review our current knowledge on the different types of canonical and non-canonical membrane-associated clathrin assemblies in mammalian cells, as observed by thin-section or platinum replica electron microscopy in various cell types, and discuss how the structural plasticity of clathrin contributes to its functional diversity.

Microtubules tune mechanosensitive cell responses.

Mechanotransduction is a process by which cells sense the mechanical properties of their surrounding environment and adapt accordingly to perform cellular functions such as adhesion, migration and differentiation. Integrin-mediated focal adhesions are major sites of mechanotransduction and their connection with the actomyosin network is crucial for mechanosensing as well as for the generation and transmission of forces onto the substrate. Despite having emerged as major regulators of cell adhesion and migration, the contribution of microtubules to mechanotransduction still remains elusive. Here, we show that talin- and actomyosin-dependent mechanosensing of substrate rigidity controls microtubule acetylation (a tubulin post-translational modification) by promoting the recruitment of α-tubulin acetyltransferase 1 (αTAT1) to focal adhesions. Microtubule acetylation tunes the mechanosensitivity of focal adhesions and Yes-associated protein (YAP) translocation. Microtubule acetylation, in turn, promotes the release of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor GEF-H1 from microtubules to activate RhoA, actomyosin contractility and traction forces. Our results reveal a fundamental crosstalk between microtubules and actin in mechanotransduction that contributes to mechanosensitive cell adhesion and migration.

Caveolinopathy: Clinical, histological, and muscle imaging features and follow-up in a multicenter retrospective cohort.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: CAV3 gene mutations, mostly inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, cause various skeletal muscle diseases. Clinical presentations encompass proximal myopathy, distal myopathy, or isolated persistent high creatine kinase (CK) with a major overlapping phenotype. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with CAV3 symptomatic mutations, from 16 different families, were included in a retrospective cohort. Mean follow-up duration was 24.2 ± 15.0 years. Clinical and functional data were collected during the follow-up. The results of muscle imaging, electroneuromyography, muscle histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and caveolin-3 Western blot analysis were also compiled. RESULTS: Exercise intolerance was the most common phenotype (52%). Eighty percent of patients had calf hypertrophy, and only 65% of patients presented rippling. One patient presented initially with camptocormia. A walking aid was required in only two patients. Electroneuromyography was mostly normal. CK level was elevated in all patients. No patient had cardiac or respiratory impairment. Muscle imaging showed fatty involvement of semimembranosus, semitendinosus, rectus femoris, biceps brachialis, and spinal muscles. Almost all (87%) of the biopsies were abnormal but without any specific pattern. Whereas a quarter of patients had normal caveolin-3 immunohistochemistry results, Western blots disclosed a reduced amount of the protein. We report nine mutations, including four not previously described. No phenotype-genotype correlation was evidenced. CONCLUSIONS: Caveolinopathy has diverse clinical, muscle imaging, and histological presentations but often has limited functional impact. Mild forms of the disease, an atypical phenotype, and normal caveolin-3 immunostaining are pitfalls leading to misdiagnosis.

Caveolae: The FAQs.

Caveolae are an abundant, but enigmatic, plasma membrane feature of vertebrate cells. In this brief commentary, the authors attempt to answer some key questions related to the formation and function of caveolae based on round-table discussions at the first EMBO Workshop on Caveolae held in France in May 2019.

Correlative SICM-FCM reveals changes in morphology and kinetics of endocytic pits induced by disease-associated mutations in dynamin.

Dynamin 2 (DNM2) is a GTP-binding protein that controls endocytic vesicle scission and defines a whole class of dynamin-dependent endocytosis, including clathrin-mediated endocytosis by caveoli. It has been suggested that mutations in the DNM2 gene, associated with 3 inherited diseases, disrupt endocytosis. However, how exactly mutations affect the nanoscale morphology of endocytic machinery has never been studied. In this paper, we used live correlative scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) and fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM) to study how disease-associated mutations affect the morphology and kinetics of clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) by directly following their dynamics of formation, maturation, and internalization in skin fibroblasts from patients with centronuclear myopathy (CNM) and in Cos-7 cells expressing corresponding dynamin mutants. Using SICM-FCM, which we have developed, we show how p.R465W mutation disrupts pit structure, preventing its maturation and internalization, and significantly increases the lifetime of CCPs. Differently, p.R522H slows down the formation of CCPs without affecting their internalization. We also found that CNM mutations in DNM2 affect the distribution of caveoli and reduce dorsal ruffling in human skin fibroblasts. Collectively, our SICM-FCM findings at single CCP level, backed up by electron microscopy data, argue for the impairment of several forms of endocytosis in DNM2-linked CNM.-Ali, T., Bednarska, J., Vassilopoulos, S., Tran, M., Diakonov, I. A., Ziyadeh-Isleem, A., Guicheney, P., Gorelik, J., Korchev, Y. E., Reilly, M. M., Bitoun, M., Shevchuk, A. Correlative SICM-FCM reveals changes in morphology and kinetics of endocytic pits induced by disease-associated mutations in dynamin.

CHC22 and CHC17 clathrins have distinct biochemical properties and display differential regulation and function.

Clathrins are cytoplasmic proteins that play essential roles in endocytosis and other membrane traffic pathways. Upon recruitment to intracellular membranes, the canonical clathrin triskelion assembles into a polyhedral protein coat that facilitates vesicle formation and captures cargo molecules for transport. The triskelion is formed by trimerization of three clathrin heavy-chain subunits. Most vertebrates have two isoforms of clathrin heavy chains, CHC17 and CHC22, generating two clathrins with distinct cellular functions. CHC17 forms vesicles at the plasma membrane for receptor-mediated endocytosis and at the trans-Golgi network for organelle biogenesis. CHC22 plays a key role in intracellular targeting of the insulin-regulated glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), accumulates at the site of GLUT4 sequestration during insulin resistance, and has also been implicated in neuronal development. Here, we demonstrate that CHC22 and CHC17 share morphological features, in that CHC22 forms a triskelion and latticed vesicle coats. However, cellular CHC22-coated vesicles were distinct from those formed by CHC17. The CHC22 coat was more stable to pH change and was not removed by the enzyme complex that disassembles the CHC17 coat. Moreover, the two clathrins were differentially recruited to membranes by adaptors, and CHC22 did not support vesicle formation or transferrin endocytosis at the plasma membrane in the presence or absence of CHC17. Our findings provide biochemical evidence for separate regulation and distinct functional niches for CHC17 and CHC22 in human cells. Furthermore, the greater stability of the CHC22 coat relative to the CHC17 coat may be relevant to its excessive accumulation with GLUT4 during insulin resistance.

Clathrin coated pits, plaques and adhesion.

Clathrin mediated endocytosis (CME) is the main route of receptor internalization in mammalian cells and this well conserved mechanism has been intensively studied for over 40yrs. In the general or 'canonical' model of CME clathrin coated pits form stochastically at the plasma membrane and coated pit curvature develops as the coated pit grows through clathrin polymerization. However, the canonical model of CME does not explain the diversity of endocytically active clathrin coated structures (CCSs) found at the plasma membrane by both electron and light microscopy. In this review we examine the canonical model of CME, highlight discrepancies with published experimental data and suggest future avenues of exploration while paying particular attention to the relationship between clathrin coated pits, plaques, sites of adhesion and the formation of endocytic 'hotspots'.

A centronuclear myopathy--dynamin 2 mutation impairs autophagy in mice.

Dynamin 2 (Dnm2) is involved in endocytosis and intracellular membrane trafficking through its function in vesicle formation from distinct membrane compartments. Heterozygous (HTZ) mutations in the DNM2 gene cause dominant centronuclear myopathy or Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy. We generated a knock-in Dnm2R465W mouse model expressing the most frequent human mutation and recently reported that HTZ mice progressively developed a myopathy. We investigated here the cause of neonatal lethality occurring in homozygous (HMZ) mice. We show that HMZ mice present at birth with a reduced body weight, hypoglycemia, increased liver glycogen content and hepatomegaly, in agreement with a defect in neonatal autophagy. In vitro studies performed in HMZ embryonic fibroblasts point out to a decrease in the autophagy flux prior to degradation at the autolysosome. We show that starved HMZ cells have a higher number of immature autophagy-related structures probably due to a defect of acidification. Our results highlight the role of Dnm2 in the cross talk between endosomal and autophagic pathways and evidence a new role of Dnm2-dependent membrane trafficking in autophagy which may be relevant in DNM2-related human diseases.

DHPR alpha1S subunit controls skeletal muscle mass and morphogenesis.

The alpha1S subunit has a dual function in skeletal muscle: it forms the L-type Ca(2+) channel in T-tubules and is the voltage sensor of excitation-contraction coupling at the level of triads. It has been proposed that L-type Ca(2+) channels might also be voltage-gated sensors linked to transcriptional activity controlling differentiation. By using the U7-exon skipping strategy, we have achieved long-lasting downregulation of alpha1S in adult skeletal muscle. Treated muscles underwent massive atrophy while still displaying significant amounts of alpha1S in the tubular system and being not paralysed. This atrophy implicated the autophagy pathway, which was triggered by neuronal nitric oxide synthase redistribution, activation of FoxO3A, upregulation of autophagy-related genes and autophagosome formation. Subcellular investigations showed that this atrophy was correlated with the disappearance of a minor fraction of alpha1S located throughout the sarcolemma. Our results reveal for the first time that this sarcolemmal fraction could have a role in a signalling pathway determining muscle anabolic or catabolic state and might act as a molecular sensor of muscle activity.

ATG16L1 induces the formation of phagophore-like membrane cups.

The hallmark of non-selective autophagy is the formation of cup-shaped phagophores that capture bulk cytoplasm. The process is accompanied by the conjugation of LC3B to phagophores by an E3 ligase complex comprising ATG12-ATG5 and ATG16L1. Here we combined two complementary reconstitution approaches to reveal the function of LC3B and its ligase complex during phagophore expansion. We found that LC3B forms together with ATG12-ATG5-ATG16L1 a membrane coat that remodels flat membranes into cups that closely resemble phagophores. Mechanistically, we revealed that cup formation strictly depends on a close collaboration between LC3B and ATG16L1. Moreover, only LC3B, but no other member of the ATG8 protein family, promotes cup formation. ATG16L1 truncates that lacked the C-terminal membrane binding domain catalyzed LC3B lipidation but failed to assemble coats, did not promote cup formation and inhibited the biogenesis of non-selective autophagosomes. Our results thus demonstrate that ATG16L1 and LC3B induce and stabilize the characteristic cup-like shape of phagophores.

The actin-spectrin submembrane scaffold restricts endocytosis along proximal axons.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis has characteristic features in neuronal dendrites and presynapses, but how membrane proteins are internalized along the axon shaft remains unclear. We focused on clathrin-coated structures and endocytosis along the axon initial segment (AIS) and their relationship to the periodic actin-spectrin scaffold that lines the axonal plasma membrane. A combination of super-resolution microscopy and platinum-replica electron microscopy on cultured neurons revealed that AIS clathrin-coated pits form within "clearings", circular areas devoid of actin-spectrin mesh. Actin-spectrin scaffold disorganization increased clathrin-coated pit formation. Cargo uptake and live-cell imaging showed that AIS clathrin-coated pits are particularly stable. Neuronal plasticity-inducing stimulation triggered internalization of the clathrin-coated pits through polymerization of branched actin around them. Thus, spectrin and actin regulate clathrin-coated pit formation and scission to control endocytosis at the AIS.

Caveolin-1 protects endothelial cells from extensive expansion of transcellular tunnel by stiffening the plasma membrane.

Large transcellular pores elicited by bacterial mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase (mART) exotoxins inhibiting the small RhoA GTPase compromise the endothelial barrier. Recent advances in biophysical modeling point toward membrane tension and bending rigidity as the minimal set of mechanical parameters determining the nucleation and maximal size of transendothelial cell macroaperture (TEM) tunnels induced by bacterial RhoA-targeting mART exotoxins. We report that cellular depletion of caveolin-1, the membrane-embedded building block of caveolae, and depletion of cavin-1, the master regulator of caveolae invaginations, increase the number of TEMs per cell. The enhanced occurrence of TEM nucleation events correlates with a reduction in cell height due to the increase in cell spreading and decrease in cell volume, which, together with the disruption of RhoA-driven F-actin meshwork, favor membrane apposition for TEM nucleation. Strikingly, caveolin-1 specifically controls the opening speed of TEMs, leading to their dramatic 5.4-fold larger widening. Consistent with the increase in TEM density and width in siCAV1 cells, we record a higher lethality in CAV1 KO mice subjected to a catalytically active mART exotoxin targeting RhoA during staphylococcal bloodstream infection. Combined theoretical modeling with independent biophysical measurements of plasma membrane bending rigidity points toward a specific contribution of caveolin-1 to membrane stiffening in addition to the role of cavin-1/caveolin-1-dependent caveolae in the control of membrane tension homeostasis.

Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp.

Sarcomeres are the basic contractile units within cardiac myocytes, and the collective shortening of sarcomeres aligned along myofibrils generates the force driving the heartbeat. The alignment of the individual sarcomeres is important for proper force generation, and misaligned sarcomeres are associated with diseases, including cardiomyopathies and COVID-19. The actin bundling protein, α-actinin-2, localizes to the 'Z-Bodies" of sarcomere precursors and the 'Z-Lines' of sarcomeres, and has been used previously to assess sarcomere assembly and maintenance. Previous measurements of α-actinin-2 organization have been largely accomplished manually, which is time-consuming and has hampered research progress. Here, we introduce sarcApp, an image analysis tool that quantifies several components of the cardiac sarcomere and their alignment in muscle cells and tissue. We first developed sarcApp to utilize deep learning-based segmentation and real space quantification to measure α-actinin-2 structures and determine the organization of both precursors and sarcomeres/myofibrils. We then expanded sarcApp to analyze 'M-Lines' using the localization of myomesin and a protein that connects the Z-Lines to the M-Line (titin). sarcApp produces 33 distinct measurements per cell and 24 per myofibril that allow for precise quantification of changes in sarcomeres, myofibrils, and their precursors. We validated this system with perturbations to sarcomere assembly. We found perturbations that affected Z-Lines and M-Lines differently, suggesting that they may be regulated independently during sarcomere assembly.

Independent regulation of Z-lines and M-lines during sarcomere assembly in cardiac myocytes revealed by the automatic image analysis software sarcApp.

Sarcomeres are the basic contractile units within cardiac myocytes, and the collective shortening of sarcomeres aligned along myofibrils generates the force driving the heartbeat. The alignment of the individual sarcomeres is important for proper force generation, and misaligned sarcomeres are associated with diseases including cardiomyopathies and COVID-19. The actin bundling protein, α-actinin-2, localizes to the "Z-Bodies" of sarcomere precursors and the "Z-Lines" of sarcomeres, and has been used previously to assess sarcomere assembly and maintenance. Previous measurements of α-actinin-2 organization have been largely accomplished manually, which is time-consuming and has hampered research progress. Here, we introduce sarcApp, an image analysis tool that quantifies several components of the cardiac sarcomere and their alignment in muscle cells and tissue. We first developed sarcApp to utilize deep learning-based segmentation and real space quantification to measure α-actinin-2 structures and determine the organization of both precursors and sarcomeres/myofibrils. We then expanded sarcApp to analyze "M-Lines" using the localization of myomesin and a protein that connects the Z-Lines to the M-Line (titin). sarcApp produces 33 distinct measurements per cell and 24 per myofibril that allow for precise quantification of changes in sarcomeres, myofibrils, and their precursors. We validated this system with perturbations to sarcomere assembly. We found perturbations that affected Z-Lines and M-Lines differently, suggesting that they may be regulated independently during sarcomere assembly.

A mechanosensitive caveolae-invadosome interplay drives matrix remodelling for cancer cell invasion.

Invadosomes and caveolae are mechanosensitive structures that are implicated in metastasis. Here, we describe a unique juxtaposition of caveola clusters and matrix degradative invadosomes at contact sites between the plasma membrane of cancer cells and constricting fibrils both in 2D and 3D type I collagen matrix environments. Preferential association between caveolae and straight segments of the fibrils, and between invadosomes and bent segments of the fibrils, was observed along with matrix remodelling. Caveola recruitment precedes and is required for invadosome formation and activity. Reciprocally, invadosome disruption results in the accumulation of fibril-associated caveolae. Moreover, caveolae and the collagen receptor ß1 integrin co-localize at contact sites with the fibrils, and integrins control caveola recruitment to fibrils. In turn, caveolae mediate the clearance of ß1 integrin and collagen uptake in an invadosome-dependent and collagen-cleavage-dependent mechanism. Our data reveal a reciprocal interplay between caveolae and invadosomes that coordinates adhesion to and proteolytic remodelling of confining fibrils to support tumour cell dissemination.

Caveolae and Bin1 form ring-shaped platforms for T-tubule initiation.

Excitation-contraction coupling requires a highly specialized membrane structure, the triad, composed of a plasma membrane invagination, the T-tubule, surrounded by two sarcoplasmic reticulum terminal cisternae. Although the precise mechanisms governing T-tubule biogenesis and triad formation remain largely unknown, studies have shown that caveolae participate in T-tubule formation and mutations of several of their constituents induce muscle weakness and myopathies. Here, we demonstrate that, at the plasma membrane, Bin1 and caveolae composed of caveolin-3 assemble into ring-like structures from which emerge tubes enriched in the dihydropyridine receptor. Bin1 expression lead to the formation of both rings and tubes and we show that Bin1 forms scaffolds on which caveolae accumulate to form the initial T-tubule. Cav3 deficiency caused by either gene silencing or pathogenic mutations results in defective ring formation and perturbed Bin1-mediated tubulation that may explain defective T-tubule organization in mature muscles. Our results uncover new pathophysiological mechanisms that may prove relevant to myopathies caused by Cav3 or Bin1 dysfunction.

A centronuclear myopathy-dynamin 2 mutation impairs skeletal muscle structure and function in mice.

Autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy (AD-CNM) is due to mutations in the gene encoding dynamin 2 (DNM2) involved in endocytosis and intracellular membrane trafficking. To understand the pathomechanisms resulting from a DNM2 mutation, we generated a knock-in mouse model expressing the most frequent AD-CNM mutation (KI-Dnm2(R465W)). Heterozygous (HTZ) mice developed a myopathy showing a specific spatial and temporal muscle involvement. In the primarily and prominently affected tibialis anterior muscle, impairment of the contractile properties was evidenced at weaning and was progressively associated with atrophy and histopathological abnormalities mainly affecting mitochondria and reticular network. Expression of genes involved in ubiquitin-proteosome and autophagy pathways was up-regulated during DNM2-induced atrophy. In isolated muscle fibers from wild-type and HTZ mice, Dnm2 localized in regions of intense membrane trafficking (I-band and perinuclear region), emphasizing the pathophysiological hypothesis in which DNM2-dependent trafficking would be altered. In addition, HTZ fibers showed an increased calcium concentration as well as an intracellular Dnm2 and dysferlin accumulation. A similar dysferlin retention, never reported so far in congenital myopathies, was also demonstrated in biopsies from DNM2-CNM patients and can be considered as a new marker to orientate direct genetic testing. Homozygous (HMZ) mice died during the first hours of life. Impairment of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, demonstrated in HMZ embryonic fibroblasts, could be the cause of lethality. Overall, this first mouse model of DNM2-related myopathy shows the crucial role of DNM2 in muscle homeostasis and will be a precious tool to study DNM2 functions in muscle, pathomechanisms of DNM2-CNM and developing therapeutic strategies.

Samaritan myopathy, an ultimately benign congenital myopathy, is caused by a RYR1 mutation.

Congenital myopathies describe a group of inherited muscle disorders with neonatal or infantile onset typically associated with muscle weakness, respiratory involvement and delayed motor milestones. We previously reported a novel congenital myopathy in an inbred Samaritan family. All patients displayed severe neonatal hypotonia and respiratory distress, and unlike other congenital myopathies, a constantly improving health status. As clinical and pathological data did not point to preferential candidate genes, we performed exome sequencing complemented by linkage analysis to identify the mutation causing the benign Samaritan congenital myopathy. We identified the homozygous p.Tyr1088Cys mutation in RYR1, encoding the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor. This sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium channel is a key regulator of excitation-contraction coupling (ECC). Western blot and immunohistofluorescence revealed a significant decrease of the RYR1 protein level and an abnormal organization of skeletal muscle triad markers as caveolin-3, dysferlin and amphiphysin 2. RYR1 mutations are associated with different myopathies and malignant hyperthermia susceptibility. The index patient had mild hyperthermia following anesthesia, indicating that the inbred Samaritan population might be a risk group for this disorder. Our results suggest an aberrant ECC as the primary cause of this disease, and broaden the clinical consequences of RYR1 defects.

Structural organization and dynamics of FCHo2 docking on membranes.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is a central trafficking pathway in eukaryotic cells regulated by phosphoinositides. The plasma membrane phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) plays an instrumental role in driving CME initiation. The F-BAR domain-only protein 1 and 2 complex (FCHo1/2) is among the early proteins that reach the plasma membrane, but the exact mechanisms triggering its recruitment remain elusive. Here, we show the molecular dynamics of FCHo2 self-assembly on membranes by combining minimal reconstituted in vitro and cellular systems. Our results indicate that PI(4,5)P2 domains assist FCHo2 docking at specific membrane regions, where it self-assembles into ring-like-shaped protein patches. We show that the binding of FCHo2 on cellular membranes promotes PI(4,5)P2 clustering at the boundary of cargo receptors and that this accumulation enhances clathrin assembly. Thus, our results provide a mechanistic framework that could explain the recruitment of early PI(4,5)P2-interacting proteins at endocytic sites.

A mechano-osmotic feedback couples cell volume to the rate of cell deformation.

Mechanics has been a central focus of physical biology in the past decade. In comparison, how cells manage their size is less understood. Here, we show that a parameter central to both the physics and the physiology of the cell, its volume, depends on a mechano-osmotic coupling. We found that cells change their volume depending on the rate at which they change shape, when they spontaneously spread or when they are externally deformed. Cells undergo slow deformation at constant volume, while fast deformation leads to volume loss. We propose a mechanosensitive pump and leak model to explain this phenomenon. Our model and experiments suggest that volume modulation depends on the state of the actin cortex and the coupling of ion fluxes to membrane tension. This mechano-osmotic coupling defines a membrane tension homeostasis module constantly at work in cells, causing volume fluctuations associated with fast cell shape changes, with potential consequences on cellular physiology.