Dynamic membrane-cytoskeletal interactions: specific association of integrin and talin arises in vivo after phorbol ester treatment of peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Members of the family of transmembrane integral membrane proteins called integrins have been implicated in forming attachments to actin microfilaments of the cytoskeleton. These attachments are thought to involve one or more intervening peripheral membrane proteins linked to integrin. To detect such possible linkages in vivo, the integrin molecules on the surfaces of intact chicken peripheral blood lymphocytes were collected into caps by cross-linking with specific antibodies, and the capped cells were examined by double immunofluorescence to determine whether particular cytoskeletal proteins were co-collected with the integrin. With resting lymphocytes, the capping of integrin did not result in any detectable redistribution of either talin, vinculin, or alpha-actinin inside the cells. However, if the capping was carried out upon the addition of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to the cells, then talin, but not vinculin or alpha-actinin, was found associated with the integrin caps. PMA is known to activate protein kinase C. These results suggest that after, but not before, PMA stimulation of intact cells, talin becomes linked either directly or indirectly with integrin, reflecting the formation of a membrane-cytoskeletal association that is metabolically regulated.