Effects of Dihydromotuporamine C Derivatives on Actin Assembly Dynamics

Dihydromotuporamine C (motu C) is a small molecule isolated from a New Guinea sea sponge that has demonstrated anti‐metastatic and anti‐migratory properties both in vivo and in vitro . Many cancers do not pose a threat to a patient's life until they metastasize. Actin filament assembly dynamics play a critical role in cancer cell metastasis, cancer cell movement, and force generation. In this study we investigate how motu C derivatives modulate actin filament assembly kinetics in vitro , using biophysical and biochemical assays. The effect of motu C on average filament lengths was determined by direct visualization of actin filaments incubated with motu C derivatives, using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. We demonstrate that one particular motu C derivative, motuCH 2 33, reduces filament length significantly. Pyrene actin assembly kinetics indicate that motuCH 2 33 also effectively decreases the amount of polymerized actin, which may potentially affect cancer cell migration. Outcomes from this project can be used to further optimize the molecular design of anti‐migratory small molecules. Support or Funding Information This study was supported by the UCF start‐up fund and In‐House grant for Hyeran Kang. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .