S100A11 promotes focal adhesion disassembly via myosin II-driven contractility and Piezo1-mediated Ca2+ entry

S100A11 is a small Ca2+-activatable protein with an established role in different cellular processes involving actin cytoskeleton remodeling, such as cell migration, membrane protrusion formation, and plasma membrane repair. It also displays Ca2+-dependent F-actin binding activity and localizes to actin stress fibers (SFs), but its precise role in regulating these structures remains unclear. Analyzing endogenous S100A11 localization in HeLa and U2OS osteosarcoma cells confirmed SF association but in addition revealed steady localization to stable focal adhesions (FAs), typically at the end of dorsal stress fibers. In contrast, S100A11 levels at FAs increased sharply, but transiently, at the onset of peripheral FA disassembly. Elevating intracellular Ca2+ levels using the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin reliably stimulated both S100A11 recruitment and subsequent FA disassembly. However, pre-incubation with the non-muscle myosin II (NM II) inhibitor blebbistatin, or with an inhibitor to the stretch-activatable Ca2+ channel Piezo1 effectively suppressed S100A11 recruitment, implicating S100A11 in an actomyosin contractility-driven FA disassembly mechanism involving Piezo1-dependent Ca2+ influx. Applying external mechanical forces on peripheral FAs via a micropipette likewise recruited S100A11 to FAs, even when NM II was inhibited by blebbistatin or in NM IIA knockout cells, corroborating the mechanosensitive recruitment mechanism of S100A11. However, extracellular Ca2+ and Piezo1 function was still indispensable, indicating that NM II-dependent contraction forces act upstream of Piezo1-mediated Ca2+ influx, in turn leading to S100A11 activation and FA recruitment. Moreover, S100A11 knockout cells feature enlarged FAs and display delayed FA disassembly during cell membrane retraction, consistent with impaired FA turnover in these cells. Our results thus demonstrate a novel mechano-sensitive function for S100A11 in promoting actomyosin contractility-driven FA disassembly.