Interaction of myosin VI and its binding partner DOCK7 plays an important role in NGF-stimulated protrusion formation in PC12 cells.

DOCK7 (dedicator of cytokinesis 7) is a guanidine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rac1 GTPase that is involved in neuronal polarity and axon generation as well in Schwann cell differentiation and myelination. Recently, we identified DOCK7 as the binding partner of unconventional myosin VI (MVI) in neuronal-lineage PC12 cells and postulated that this interaction could be important in vivo [Majewski et al. (2012) Biochem Cell Biol., 90:565–574]. Herein, we found that MVI-DOCK7 interaction takes also place in other cell lines and demonstrated that MVI cargo domain via its RRL motif binds to DOCK7 C-terminal M2 and DHR2 domains. In MVI knockdown cells, lower Rac1 activity and a decrease of DOCK7 phosphorylation on Tyr1118 were observed, indicating that MVI could contribute to DOCK7 activity. MVI and DOCK7 co-localization was maintained during NGF-stimulated PC12 cell differentiation and observed also in the outgrowths. Also, during differentiation an increase in phosphorylation of DOCK7 as well as of its downstream effector JNK kinase was detected. Interestingly, overexpression of GFP-tagged MVI cargo domain (GFP-GT) impaired protrusion formation indicating that full length protein is important for this process. Moreover, a transient increase in Rac activity observed at 5min of NGF-stimulated differentiation of PC12 cells (overexpressing either GFP or GFP-MVI) was not detected in cells overexpressing the cargo domain. These data indicate that MVI-DOCK7 interaction could have functional implications in the protrusion outgrowth, and full length MVI seems to be important for delivery and maintenance of DOCK7 along the protrusions, and exerting its GEF activity.