In Vitro Reconstitution Of Dynein Force Exertion In Bulk Cytoplasm

The forces generated by Microtubules (MTs) and their associated motors orchestrate essential cellular processes ranging from vesicular trafficking to centrosome positioning [1, 2]. To date, most studies have focused on force exertion from motors anchored on a static surface, such as the cell cortex in vivo or glass surfaces in vitro [2-4]. However, motors also transport large cargos and endomembrane networks, whose hydrodynamic interactions with the viscous cytoplasm should generate sizable forces in bulk. Such forces may contribute to MT aster centration, organization and orientation [5-14], but have yet to be evidenced and studied in a minimal reconstituted system. By developing a bulk motility assay, based on stabilized MTs and dynein-coated beads freely floating in a viscous medium away from any surface, we demonstrate that the motion of a cargo exerts a pulling force on the MT and propels it in opposite direction. Quantification of resulting MT movements for different motors, motor velocities, over a range of cargo size and medium viscosities, shows that the efficiency of this mechanism is primarily determined by cargo size and MT length. Forces exerted by cargos are additive, allowing us to recapitulate tug-of-war situations, or bi-dimensional motions of minimal asters. These data also reveal unappreciated effects of the nature of viscous crowders and hydrodynamic interactions between cargos and MTs, likely relevant to understand this mode of force exertion in living cells. This study places endomembrane transport as a significant mode of MT force exertion with far-reaching consequences for cellular organization.