Abstract:
Cell migration plays a vital role in both health and disease. It is driven by reorganization
of the actin cytoskeleton, which is regulated by actin-binding proteins cofilin and profilin.
Stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1) is a well-described co-chaperone of the Hsp90 chaperone
system, and our findings identify a potential regulatory role of STIP1 in actin dynamics. We show
that STIP1 can be isolated in complex with actin and Hsp90 from HEK293T cells and directly interacts
with actin in vitro via the C-terminal TPR2AB-DP2 domain of STIP1, potentially due to a region
spanning two putative actin-binding motifs. We found that STIP1 could stimulate the in vitro ATPase
activity of actin, suggesting a potential role in the modulation of F-actin formation. Interestingly,
while STIP1 depletion in HEK293T cells had no major effect on total actin levels, it led to increased
nuclear accumulation of actin, disorganization of F-actin structures, and an increase and decrease in
cofilin and profilin levels, respectively. This study suggests that STIP1 regulates the cytoskeleton by
interacting with actin, or via regulating the ratio of proteins known to affect actin dynamics.
