cellular motility

Rho GTPases et PI3Ks

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).

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.

Courses

 Cell mobility and cytoskeleton by Mark Hill at unsw.edu.au, University of New South Wales, Australia

See also

 cell migration
 focal cell adhesion

References

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 Schlaepfer DD, Mitra SK. Multiple connections link FAK to cell motility and invasion. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2004 Feb;14(1):92-101. PMID: 15108811

 Xia Y, Karin M. The control of cell motility and epithelial morphogenesis by Jun kinases. Trends Cell Biol. 2004 Feb;14(2):94-101. PMID: 15102441

 Wehrle-Haller B, Imhof B. The inner lives of focal adhesions. Trends Cell Biol. 2002 Aug;12(8):382-9. PMID: 12191915

 Rorth P. Initiating and guiding migration: lessons from border cells. Trends Cell Biol. 2002 Jul;12(7):325-31. PMID: 12185849

 Holt MR, Koffer A. Cell motility: proline-rich proteins promote protrusions. Trends Cell Biol. 2001 Jan;11(1):38-46. PMID: 11146297