Publication

Structure of the Huntingtin F-actin complex reveals its role in cytoskeleton organization

2025

Abstract

The Huntingtin protein (HTT), named for its role in Huntington’s disease, has been best understood as a scaffolding protein that promotes vesicle transport by molecular motors along microtubules. Here, we show that HTT also interacts with the actin cytoskeleton, and its loss of function disturbs the morphology and function of the axonal growth cone. We demonstrate that HTT organizes F-actin into bundles. Cryo–electron tomography (cryo-ET) and subtomogram averaging (STA) structural analyses reveal that HTT’s N-terminal HEAT and Bridge domains wrap around F-actin, while the C-terminal HEAT domain is displaced; furthermore, HTT dimerizes via the N-HEAT domain to bridge parallel actin filaments separated by ~20 nanometers. Our study provides the structural basis for understanding how HTT interacts with and organizes the actin cytoskeleton.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/1fd1ab44-0785-4a6f-9d41-b93eeda6aff2

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2025

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/1fd1ab44-0785-4a6f-9d41-b93eeda6aff2

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Actin

Actin is a family of globular multi-functional proteins that form microfilaments in the cytoskeleton, and the thin filaments in muscle fibrils. It is found in essentially all eukaryotic cells, where it may be present at a concentration of over 100 μM; its mass is roughly 42 kDa, with a diameter of 4 to 7 nm. An actin protein is the monomeric subunit of two types of filaments in cells: microfilaments, one of the three major components of the cytoskeleton, and thin filaments, part of the contractile apparatus in muscle cells.

Cytoskeleton

The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. In eukaryotes, it extends from the cell nucleus to the cell membrane and is composed of similar proteins in the various organisms. It is composed of three main components, microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules, and these are all capable of rapid growth or disassembly dependent on the cell's requirements.

Microfilament

Microfilaments, also called actin filaments, are protein filaments in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells that form part of the cytoskeleton. They are primarily composed of polymers of actin, but are modified by and interact with numerous other proteins in the cell. Microfilaments are usually about 7 nm in diameter and made up of two strands of actin. Microfilament functions include cytokinesis, amoeboid movement, cell motility, changes in cell shape, endocytosis and exocytosis, cell contractility, and mechanical stability.

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Structure of the Huntingtin F-actin complex reveals its role in cytoskeleton organization

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