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Title: Scanning electron microscopy study of neutrophil membrane tubulovesicular extensions (cytonemes) and their role in anchoring, aggregation and phagocytosis. The effect of nitric oxide

Journal Article · · Experimental Cell Research
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology of the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992, Moscow, Leninskie gory, Building A, Moscow (Russian Federation)
  2. M.M. Shemykin and Y.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation)
  3. Faculty of Biology, University of Konstanz (Germany)
  4. A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology of the M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992, Moscow, Leninskie gory, Building A, Moscow (Russian Federation)

We have shown that human neutrophils develop dynamic thin and very long tubulovesicular extensions (cytonemes) upon adhesion to fibronectin, if cell spreading was blocked by Na{sup +}-free medium or by 4-bromophenacyl bromide, N-ethylmaleimide, 7-chloro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole and cytochalasin D (S. I. Galkina, G. F. Sud'ina and V. Ullrich (2001). Exp. Cell Res. 266, 222-228). In the present work we found that similar in size and behavior tubulovesicular extensions were formed on the neutrophil cell bodies upon adhesion to fibronectin-coated substrata in the presence of the nitric oxide donor diethylamine NONOate. In the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N-{omega}-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, neutrophils were well spread and had no microextensions. Using scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrated that tubulovesicular extensions of neutrophils executed long-range adhesion and binding objects for phagocytosis, such as serum-opsonized zymosan particles and erythrocytes. Tubulovesicular extensions anchored neutrophils to substrata in a {beta}1 and {beta}2 integrin-independent, but L-selectin-dependent manner. BODIPY-sphingomyelin impaired development of tubulovesicular extension, and heparitinase 1 played a role in their destruction. Membrane tubulovesicular extensions are supposed to represent protrusions of an intracellular exocytotic traffic and serve as cellular sensory and adhesive organelles. Nitric oxide seems to play a role in regulation of tubulovesicular extensions formation, thus affecting neutrophil adhesive interactions and phagocytosis.

OSTI ID:
20717574
Journal Information:
Experimental Cell Research, Vol. 304, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2004.12.005; PII: S0014-4827(04)00728-1; Copyright (c) 2004 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0014-4827
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English