Actin chromobody imaging reveals sub-organellar actin dynamics

Nat Methods. 2020 Sep;17(9):917-921. doi: 10.1038/s41592-020-0926-5. | PubMed

Cara R Schiavon^1,2, Tong Zhang¹, Bing Zhao³, Andrew S Moore⁴, Pauline Wales^1,2, Leonardo R Andrade¹, Melissa Wu¹, Tsung-Chang Sung⁵, Yelena Dayn⁵, Jasmine W Feng⁶, Omar A Quintero⁶, Gerald S Shadel², Robert Grosse³, Uri Manor⁷

1. Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
2. Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
3. Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
4. Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
5. Transgenic Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
6. Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA.
7. Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA. umanor@salk.edu.

Abstract

The actin cytoskeleton plays multiple critical roles in cells, from cell migration to organelle dynamics. The small and transient actin structures regulating organelle dynamics are challenging to detect with fluorescence microscopy, making it difficult to determine whether actin filaments are directly associated with specific membranes. To address these limitations, we developed fluorescent-protein-tagged actin nanobodies, termed 'actin chromobodies' (ACs), targeted to organelle membranes to enable high-resolution imaging of sub-organellar actin dynamics.

Presented By Cara Schiavon | ORCID iD