Cytoplasmic accumulation and plasma membrane association of anillin and Ect2 promote confined migration and invasion

Cytoplasmic accumulation and plasma membrane association of anillin and Ect2 promote confined migration and invasion | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Cytoplasmic accumulation and plasma membrane association of anillin and Ect2 promote confined migration and invasion Konstantinos Konstantopoulos, Avery Tran, Emily Wisniewski, Panagiotis Mistriotis, and 20 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3640969/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Materials → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Cells migrating in confinement experience mechanical challenges whose consequences on cell migration machinery remain only partially understood. Here, we demonstrate that a pool of the cytokinesis regulatory protein anillin is retained during interphase in the cytoplasm of different cell types. Confinement induces recruitment of cytoplasmic anillin to plasma membrane at the poles of migrating cells, which is further enhanced upon nuclear envelope (NE) rupture(s). Rupture events also enable the cytoplasmic egress of predominantly nuclear RhoGEF Ect2. Anillin and Ect2 redistributions scale with microenvironmental stiffness and confinement, and are observed in confined cells in vitro and in invading tumor cells in vivo. Anillin, which binds actomyosin at the cell poles, and Ect2, which activates RhoA, cooperate additively to promote myosin II contractility, and promote efficient invasion and extravasation. Overall, our work provides a mechanistic understanding of how cytokinesis regulators mediate RhoA/ROCK/myosin II-dependent mechanoadaptation during confined migration and invasive cancer progression. Biological sciences/Cell biology/Cell migration/RHO signalling Biological sciences/Cancer/Cancer microenvironment Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Suppvid1.avi Cells displaying ACEs before their entry in confinement and enrichment after nuclear rupture. Suppvid2.avi Cells in confinement experiencing multiple nuclear ruptures. Suppvid3.avi Initiation of NLS-mCherry leakage correlated with anillin enrichment to the cell cytoplasm and membrane in vivo. Suppvid4.avi Disruption of RhoA-dependent contractility with GFP-anillin-Δ3 and HA-Ect2-DHmut leads to less invasive phenotype. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Materials → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3640969","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":266103308,"identity":"db2ed42c-61dd-4836-aab6-c4a0c479577c","order_by":0,"name":"Konstantinos 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Here, we demonstrate that a pool of the cytokinesis regulatory protein anillin is retained during interphase in the cytoplasm of different cell types. Confinement induces recruitment of cytoplasmic anillin to plasma membrane at the poles of migrating cells, which is further enhanced upon nuclear envelope (NE) rupture(s). Rupture events also enable the cytoplasmic egress of predominantly nuclear RhoGEF Ect2. Anillin and Ect2 redistributions scale with microenvironmental stiffness and confinement, and are observed in confined cells in vitro and in invading tumor cells in vivo. Anillin, which binds actomyosin at the cell poles, and Ect2, which activates RhoA, cooperate additively to promote myosin II contractility, and promote efficient invasion and extravasation. 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