Motility

Morphologic polarity is necessary for the motility of mammalian cells. In leukocytes responding to a chemoattractant, this polarity is regulated by activities of small Rho guanosine triphosphatases (Rho GTPases) and the phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks).

Moreover, in neutrophils, lipid products of PI3Ks appear to regulate activation of Rho GTPases, are required for cell motility and accumulate asymmetrically to the plasma membrane at the leading edge of polarized cells.

By spatially regulating Rho GTPases and organizing the leading edge of the cell, PI3Ks and their lipid products could play pivotal roles not only in establishing leukocyte polarity but also as compass molecules that tell the cell where to crawl.

Pathology

 neutrophilic infiltration
 neutrophilic deficiency
 neutrophilic proliferations
 neutrophilic disorders

See also

 granulocytes diapedesis
 neutrophil differentatiation
 neutrophil development
 polymophonuclear cells

• neutrophils
• eosinophils
• basophils

References

 Rickert P, Weiner OD, Wang F, Bourne HR, Servant G. Leukocytes navigate by compass: roles of PI3Kgamma and its lipid products. Trends Cell Biol. 2000 Nov;10(11):466-73. PMID: #11050418#