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Myh9 plays a fundamental role during neutrophil migration in innate immunity

Annette Zehrer, Daniela Begandt and colleagues publish their results in the Journal of Immunology

01.08.2018

Upon acute inflammation, the innate immune system responds by quickly sending neutrophils to the site of injury. Annette Zehrer, Daniela Begandt and colleagues were able to show the importance of sufficient levels of Myh9 for proper cell migration during this process.

Neutrophils must maintain their polarized morphology during intraluminal 2D migration, transmigration through the blood vessel wall, and 3D migration through the tissue to the site of inflammation. Annette Zehrer and colleagues studied the effect of genetically downregulated Myh9, the heavy chain of non-muscle myosin IIa, which is known to be important for proper cell morphology.

By employing live cell imaging on migrating cells, the subcellular localization of Myh9 in branching lamellipodia and in the uropod could be followed. The downregulation of Myh9 below a certain threshold led to a pronounced migration defect, potentially through a dysregulation of F-actin dynamics.

First author Annette Zehrer and last author Daniela Begandt, both of project A02 headed by Barbara Walzog, and their co-authors published these findings on the fundamental role of Myh9 in the Journal of Immunology. Annette is a member of the graduate program IRTG 914.

Collaborative effort

The publication greatly benefited from close collaborations between three groups of SFB 914. The work of Annette and colleagues of project A02 (PI Barbara Walzog) was complemented by input from members of project B02 (PI Konstantin Stark), and the spinning-disk confocal microscopy service platform Z03.

Publication:

Zehrer A, Pick R, Salvermoser M, Boda A, Miller M, Stark K, Weckbach LT, Walzog B, Begandt D. (2018)
A fundamental role of Myh9 for neutrophil migration in innate immunity
J Immunol. Aug 1, 2018 [Epub ahead of print]

Contact:

Annette Zehrer, M. Sc.
Walter-Brendel-Zentrum für Experimentelle Medizin
Biomedizinisches Centrum
LMU München
Großhaderner Str. 9
D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried

Annette.Zehrer@lrz.uni-muenchen.de