Localization of myosin Va is dependent on the cytoskeletal organization in the cell.

Myosin V plays an important role in membrane trafficking events. Its implication in the transport of pigment granules in melanocytes and synaptic vesicles in neurons is now well established. However, less is known about its function(s) in other cell types. Finding a common function is complicated by the diversity of myosin V expression in different tissues and organisms and by its association with different subcellular compartments. Here we show that myosin V is present in a variety of cells. Within the same cell type under different physiological conditions, we observed two main cellular locations for myosin V that were dependent on the dynamics of the plasma membrane: in cells with highly dynamic membranes, myosin V was specifically concentrated at the leading edge in membrane ruffles, whereas in cells with less dynamic membranes, myosin V was enriched around the microtubule-organizing center. The presence of myosin V in the leading ruffling edge of the cell was induced by growth factor stimulation and ...