A new mechanism of fibronectin fibril assembly revealed by live imaging and super-resolution microscopy

Darshika Tomer, Cecilia Arriagada, Sudipto Munshi, Brianna E. Alexander, Brenda French, Pavan Vedula, Valentina Caorsi, Andrew House, Murat Guvendiren, Anna Kashina, Jean E. Schwarzbauer, Sophie Astrof*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Fibronectin (Fn1) fibrils have long been viewed as continuous fibers composed of extended, periodically aligned Fn1 molecules. However, our live-imaging and single-molecule localization microscopy data are inconsistent with this traditional view and show that Fn1 fibrils are composed of roughly spherical nanodomains containing six to eleven Fn1 dimers. As they move toward the cell center, Fn1 nanodomains become organized into linear arrays, in which nanodomains are spaced with an average periodicity of 105±17 nm. Periodical Fn1 nanodomain arrays can be visualized between cells in culture and within tissues; they are resistant to deoxycholate treatment and retain nanodomain periodicity in the absence of cells. The nanodomain periodicity in fibrils remained constant when probed with antibodies recognizing distinct Fn1 epitopes or combinations of antibodies recognizing epitopes spanning the length of Fn1. Treatment with FUD, a peptide that binds the Fn1 N-terminus and disrupts Fn1 fibrillogenesis, blocked the organization of Fn1 nanodomains into periodical arrays. These studies establish a new paradigm of Fn1 fibrillogenesis.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberjcs260120
JournalJournal of Cell Science
Volume135
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A new mechanism of fibronectin fibril assembly revealed by live imaging and super-resolution microscopy'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this