The role of microtubules in neutrophil polarity and migration in live zebrafish
- Authors
- Yoo, S.K., Lam, P.Y., Eichelberg, M.R., Zasadil, L., Bement, W.M., and Huttenlocher, A.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-121004-8
- Date
- 2012
- Source
- Journal of Cell Science 125(23): 5702-5710 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Huttenlocher, Anna, Lam, Pui Ying
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Cell Movement/physiology
- Cell Polarity/physiology
- Chemotaxis/physiology
- Microtubules/metabolism*
- Neutrophils/cytology*
- Neutrophils/metabolism*
- Zebrafish/metabolism*
- PubMed
- 22992461 Full text @ J. Cell Sci.
Microtubules control cell motility by positively regulating polarization in many cell types. However, how microtubules regulate leukocyte migration is not well understood, particularly in living organisms. Here we exploited the zebrafish system to study the role of microtubules in neutrophil migration in vivo. The localization of microtubules was visualized in motile neutrophils using various bioprobes, revealing that, in contrast to in vitro studies, the microtubule organizing center is positioned in front of the nucleus in motile neutrophils. Microtubule disassembly impaired neutrophil wound attraction but enhanced F-actin polarity based on the distribution of stable and dynamic F-actin. Microtubule depolymerization inhibited polarized PI(3)K activation at the leading edge and induced rapid, PI(3)K independent motility. Finally, we show that microtubules exert their effects on neutrophil polarity and motility at least in part by the negative regulation of both Rho and Rac activity. These results provide new insight into the role of microtubules in neutrophil migration in a living vertebrate and show that the motility of these professional migratory cells are subject to distinctly different rules than those established for other cell types.