Biology subjects

Moparthi, S. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Moparthi, S. B..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Piezo1 balances focal and reticular adhesions to enable EGFR clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Cells attach to the extracellular matrix through distinct integrin-mediated adhesive structures, including force-transmitting focal adhesions (FAs) and clathrin-enriched reticular adhesions (RAs). FAs enable mesenchymal cell migration and disassemble at mitotic entry, whereas RAs impede migration, persist during mitosis, and contribute to clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) as they disassemble. FAs grow with RhoA contractility, whereas RAs shrink, but the mechanisms coordinating these opposing responses remain unclear. Here, we identify the mechanically activated ion channel Piezo1 as a master regulator of FA/RA balance. Piezo1-dependent calcium influx activates the Src family kinase Fyn, which activates two actin polymerization pathways: FA and stress fiber growth via VAV2-RhoA and RA disassembly via N-WASP-Arp2/3. Inhibition or knockdown of Piezo1, Fyn, or VAV2 decreases FA size and increases RA coverage. Critically, cells lacking Piezo1 fail to internalize ligand-activated EGFR on stiff substrates despite normal CME on soft substrates, establishing an essential role for Piezo1 in EGFR CME mechanoadaption. Our findings reveal Piezo1 as the mechanosensor linking membrane tension to coordinated actin polymerization pathways that co-regulate cell-matrix adhesion and endocytosis. Given that CME contributes to viral entry into host cells and cancer resistance to anti-EGFR antibody therapy, targeting the Piezo1-RA-CME axis may offer novel therapeutic opportunities.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Two-dimensional condensates of HRS drive the assembly of flat clathrin lattices on endosomes

In cells, the curved clathrin structures in vesicle budding are well characterized, while the flat ones remain poorly understood. We reconstituted the flat assembly of ESCRT-0 protein HRS and clathrin onto lipid membranes in vitro. HRS was found to form protein condensates. These condensates spread as a two-dimensional layer on negatively charged membranes and promoted the assembly of clathrin into a flat coat. Correlative cryo-tomography of HRS-labeled endosomes revealed a pure hexagonal lattice, consistent with flat clathrin structures. Cholesterol enhanced HRS recruitment to the membrane both in cells and in supported bilayers. Furthermore, cholesterol promoted the phase separation of HRS onto membranes, which in turn concentrated cholesterol underneath. This positive feedback promoted the formation of HRS-clathrin microdomains that sorted reconstituted ubiquitinated cargoes. Altogether, our results show that the unique architecture of ESCRT-0 is assembled by the two-dimensional phase-separation of HRS which drives the assembly of flat clathrin coats.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2023

The actin-spectrin submembrane scaffold restricts endocytosis along proximal axons

Neuronal clathrin-mediated endocytosis has unique features in compartments such as dendrites and presynaptic boutons, but how membrane and extracellular components are internalized along the axon shaft remains poorly known. Here 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. Super-resolution optical microscopy, platinum replica electron microscopy, and their correlative combination on cultured hippocampal neurons reveal that in the AIS, clathrin-coated pits form on bare membrane patches, [~]300 nm circular areas devoid of spectrin mesh and lined by actin filaments we termed "clearings". In fibroblasts and the proximal axon of neurons, spectrin depletion and drug-induced scaffold disorganization increase clathrin-coated pit formation. However, the presence of clathrin-coated pits at the AIS is not directly linked to actual endocytosis: using cargo uptake and live-cell imaging experiments, we find that most AIS clathrin-coated pits are long-lived and immobile within the spectrin mesh clearings. Direct perturbation of the spectrin scaffold as well as elevated neuronal activity could induce endocytosis downstream of clathrin pit formation, showing that spectrin clearings are structures responsible for regulated endocytosis at the AIS.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Calcium activates purified human TRPA1 with and without its N-terminal ankyrin repeat domain in the absence of calmodulin

Extracellular influx of calcium or release of calcium from intracellular stores have been shown to activate mammalian TRPA1 as well as to sensitize and desensitize TRPA1 electrophilic activation. Calcium binding sites on both intracellular N- and C-termini have been proposed. Here, we demonstrate based on fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and bilayer patch-clamp studies, a direct calmodulin-independent action of calcium on the purified human TRPA1 (hTRPA1), causing structural changes and activation of hTRPA1 with and without its N-terminal ankyrin repeat domain (N-ARD). Thus, calcium can activate hTRPA1 by direct interaction with binding sites outside the N-ARD.

physiology↗