Microinjection into Acanthamoeba castellanii of monoclonal antibodies to myosin-II slows but does not stop cell locomotion.

To study the in vivo role of myosin-II in Acanthamoeba castellanii, motile cells were microinjected with monoclonal antibodies raised against the myosin-II heavy chain. All injected cells underwent a transient shock response. It was found that although injection of buffer alone or of an endogenous Acanthamoeba protein decreased the motility of injected cells from 7 microns/min to approximately 3 microns/min, injection of monoclonal antibodies specific for myosin-II decreased motility further to approximately 0.8 micron/min. This effect was seen whether or not the monoclonal antibody to myosin-II inhibited the actomyosin-II MgATPase activity in vitro. Levels of antibody far in excess of endogenous myosin-II concentrations could not completely block amoeboid movement. The morphology of moving antimyosin-II-injected cells was unusual, suggesting a greater defect in the ability to retract the trailing edge of the cell rather than to extend the leading edge. Endosomes frequently disappeared from injected cells, and although buffer-injected cells rapidly recovered visible endosomes (50% recovery at 5 min), endosomes were not seen in antimyosin-II-injected cells until, on the average, approximately 50 min after injection. Injection of a nonspecific antibody or of a nonspecific exogenous protein (ovalbumin) also decreased the mobility of the injected cells beyond that of buffer-injected cells (to approximately 1 micron/min). These cells tended to recover endosomes more rapidly (approximately 25 min) than cells injected with antimyosin-II monoclonal antibodies. The inability of antibodies to myosin-II to inhibit completely any of the movements studied suggests that although myosin-II probably plays a role in these motilities, the cell either routinely uses or can draw upon another cytoplasmic motor to maintain locomotion, organelle movement, contractile vacuole activity, and endocytosis.