assessing-the-secretory-capacity-of-pancreatic-acinar-cells

Assessing the Secretory Capacity of Pancreatic Acinar Cells

Pancreatic acinar cells produce and secrete digestive enzymes. These cells are organized as a cluster which forms and shares a joint lumen. This work ...

Weizmann Institute of Science

We have previously demonstrated that the chemokine IFN-gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) and its receptor CXCR3, are overexpressed in myasthenia gravis (MG) and its animal model experimental autoimmune MG (EAMG). We now studied the potential of modulating rat EAMG by interference in CXCR3/IP-10 signaling. Two different approaches were used: 1) blocking IP-10 by IP-10-specific antibodies and 2) inhibiting the CXCR3 chemokine receptor by a CXCR3 antagonist. Treatment by either of these reagents led to suppression of EAMG suggesting that inhibition of CXCR3/IP-10 signaling can be considered as a potential treatment modality for MG.

Suppression of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by inhibiting the signaling between IFN-gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) and its receptor CXCR3.

Endothelial chemokines are instrumental for integrin-mediated lymphocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration (TEM). By dissecting how chemokines trigger lymphocyte integrins to support shear-resistant motility on and across cytokine-stimulated endothelial barriers, we found a critical role for high-affinity (HA) LFA-1 integrin in lymphocyte crawling on activated endothelium. Endothelial-presented chemokines triggered HA-LFA-1 and adhesive filopodia at numerous submicron dots scattered underneath crawling lymphocytes. Shear forces applied to endothelial-bound lymphocytes dramatically enhanced filopodia density underneath crawling lymphocytes. A fraction of the adhesive filopodia invaded the endothelial cells prior to and during TEM and extended large subluminal leading edge containing dots of HA-LFA-1 occupied by subluminal ICAM-1. Memory T cells generated more frequent invasive filopodia and transmigrated more rapidly than their naive counterparts. We propose that shear forces exerted on HA-LFA-1 trigger adhesive and invasive filopodia at apical endothelial surfaces and thereby promote lymphocyte crawling and probing for TEM sites.

Lymphocyte crawling and transendothelial migration require chemokine triggering of high-affinity LFA-1 integrin.

A biochip model of lymphocyte locomotion on confined chemokine tracks.

The final stage in exocrine secretion involves translocation of vesicles from their storage areas to the apical membrane. We show that actin-coated secretory vesicles of the exocrine pancreas travel this distance over bundles of specialized actin cables emanating from the apical plasma membrane. These bundles are stable structures that require constant G-actin incorporation and are distinct from the actin web that surrounds the exocrine lumen. The murine mammalian Diaphanous-related formin 1 (mDia1) was identified as a generator of these cables. The active form of mDia1 localized to the apical membrane, and introduction of an active form of mDia1 led to a marked increase in bundle density along the lumen perimeter. Compromising formation of the cables does not prevent secretion, but results in disorganized trafficking and fusion between secretory vesicles. Similar apical secretory tracks were also found in the submandibular salivary glands. Together with previous results that identified a role for Diaphanous in apical secretion in tubular organs of Drosophila, the role of Diaphanous formins at the final stages of secretion appears to be highly conserved.

Directing exocrine secretory vesicles to the apical membrane by actin cables generated by the formin mDia1.

The apical surface of secretory tubular epithelia is a dynamic cellular domain where massive membrane turnover takes place during exocytosis and its subsequent compensatory endocytosis. This extensive membrane flow poses a difficulty in targeting secretory vesicles efficiently to a narrow apical domain. We have studied how actin filaments mediate the secretory process in the murine exocrine pancreas, which produces and secretes digestive enzymes that are deposited into the intestine. We show that cargo-filled secretory vesicles move over bundles of linear actin cables from their storage areas to the apical membrane of pancreatic acinar cells. mDia1, a linear actin nucleator of the Formin family, was identified as the generator of these structures. The active form of mDia1 localizes to the apical surface, and the microfilament bundles it forms emanate from the apical surface and extend into the cytoplasm, generating polarized secretion tracks. These bundles ensure orderly progression of exocytosis, since the apical targeting of pancreatic vesicles is compromised in their absence, and vesicles fuse with each other to generate compound, membrane-associated secretory structures.

Erez Geron

Department of Molecular Genetics

Weizmann Institute of Science

Assessing the Secretory Capacity of Pancreatic Acinar Cells

Erez Geron

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Molecular Genetics

Weizmann Institute of Science

Assessing the Secretory Capacity of Pancreatic Acinar Cells

Department of Molecular Genetics