UCSF

Chemoattractants like f-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) induce neutrophils to polarize by triggering divergent signals that promote the formation of protrusive filamentous actin (F-actin; frontness) and RhoA-dependent actomyosin contraction (backness). Frontness locally inhibits backness and vice versa. In neutrophil-like HL60 cells, blocking phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-tris-phosphate (PIP3) accumulation with selective inhibitors of PIP3 synthesis completely prevents fMLP from activating a PIP3-dependent kinase and Cdc42 but not from stimulating F-actin accumulation. PIP3-deficient cells show reduced fMLP-dependent Rac activity and unstable pseudopods, which is consistent with the established role of PIP3 as a mediator of positive feedback pathways that augment Rac activation at the front. Surprisingly, such cells also show reduced RhoA activation and RhoA-dependent contraction at the trailing edge, leading to the formation of multiple lateral pseudopods. Cdc42 mediates PIP3's positive effect on RhoA activity. Thus, PIP3 and Cdc42 maintain stable polarity with a single front and a single back not only by strengthening pseudopods but also, at longer range, by promoting RhoA-dependent actomyosin contraction at the trailing edge.