The spinal muscular atrophy gene product regulates actin dynamics

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disease caused by low levels of the Survival of Motoneuron (SMN) protein. SMN interacts with and regulates the actin-binding protein profilin2a, thereby influencing actin dynamics. Dysfunctional actin dynamics caused by SMN loss disrupts neurite outgrowth, axonal pathfinding, and formation of functional synapses in neurons. Whether the SMN protein directly interacts with and regulates filamentous (F-) and monomeric globular (G-) actin is still elusive. In a quantitative single cell approach, we show that SMN loss leads to dysregulated F-/G-actin fractions. Furthermore, quantitative assessment of cell morphology suggests an F-actin organizational defect. Interestingly, this is mediated by an interaction of SMN with G- and F-actin. In co-immunoprecipitation, in-vitro pulldown and co-localization assays, we elucidated that this interaction is independent of the SMN-profilin2a interaction. Therefore, we suggest two populations being relevant for functional actin dynamics in healthy neurons: SMN-profilin2a-actin and SMN-actin. Additionally, those two populations may influence each other and therefore regulate binding of SMN to actin. In SMA, we showed a dysregulated co-localization pattern of SMN-actin which could only partially rescued by SMN restoration. However, dysregulation of F-/G-actin fractions was reduced by SMN restoration. Taken together, our results suggest a novel molecular function of SMN in binding to actin independent from SMN-profilin2a interaction.