The mechanism underlying fascin-mediated bundling of actin filaments unveiled by cryo-electron tomography

Abstract

Fascins are crucial actin-binding proteins linked to carcinomas, such as cancer metastasis. Fascins crosslink unipolar actin filaments into linear and rigid parallel bundles, which play essential roles in the formation of filopodia, stereocilia and other membrane protrusions. However, the mechanism of how fascin bundles actin filaments has remained elusive. Here, we studied the organization of reconstituted fascin-actin bundles by cryo-electron tomography and determined the structure of the fascin–actin complex at 9 Å resolution by subtomogram averaging. Consistent with earlier findings, fascin molecules decorate adjacent actin filaments, positioned at regular intervals corresponding to the half-pitch of actin filaments. The fascin–actin complex structure allows us to verify the binding orientation of fascin between the two actin filaments. Fitting of the previously solved fascin crystal structure facilitates the analysis of the interaction surfaces. Our structural models serve as a blueprint to understand the detailed interactions between fascin and actins and provide new insights for the development of drugs targeting fascin proteins.