Overexpression of normal and mutant Arp1alpha (centractin) differentially affects microtubule organization during mitosis and interphase.

Dynactin is a large multisubunit complex that regulates cytoplasmic dynein-mediated functions. To gain insight into the role of dynactin's most abundant component, Arp1alpha was transiently overexpressed in mammalian cells. Arp1alpha overexpression resulted in a cell cycle delay at prometaphase. Intracellular dynactin, dynein and nuclear/mitotic apparatus (NuMA) protein were recruited to multiple foci associated with ectopic cytoplasmic aggregates of Arp1alpha in transfected cells. These ectopic aggregates nucleated supernumerary microtubule asters at prometaphase. Point mutations were generated in Arp1alpha that identified specific amino acids required for the prometaphase delay and for the formation of supernumerary microtubule asters. The mutant Arp1alpha proteins formed aggregates in cells that colocalized with dynactin and dynein peptides, but in contrast to wild-type Arp1alpha, NuMA localization remained unaffected. Although expression of mutant Arp1alpha proteins had no effect on mitotic cells, in interphase cells expression of the mutants resulted in disruption of the microtubule network. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that overexpressed Arp1alpha interacts with dynactin and NuMA proteins in cell extracts, and that these interactions are destabilized in the Arp1alpha mutants. We conclude that the amino acids altered in the Arp1alpha mutant proteins participate in stabilizing interactions between overexpressed Arp1alpha and components of the endogenous dynactin complex as well as the NuMA protein.