Small organic osmolytes accelerate actin filament assembly and stiffen filaments

Actin filament assembly and mechanics are crucial for maintenance of cell structure, motility, and division. Actin filament assembly occurs in a crowded intracellular environment consisting of various types of molecules, including small organic molecules known as osmolytes. Ample evidence highlights the protective functions of osmolytes such as trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), including their effects on protein stability and their ability to counteract cellular osmotic stress. Yet, how TMAO affects individual actin filament assembly dynamics and mechanics is not well understood. We hypothesize that, owing to its protective nature, TMAO will enhance filament dynamics and stiffen actin filaments due to increased stability. In this study, we investigate osmolyte-dependent actin filament assembly and bending mechanics by measuring filament elongation rates, steady-state filament lengths, and bending persistence lengths in the presence of TMAO using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and pyrene assays. Our results demonstrate that TMAO increases filament elongation rates as well as steady-state average filament lengths, and enhances filament bending stiffness. Together, these results will help us understand how small organic osmolytes modulate cytoskeletal protein assembly and mechanics in living cells.