The Roles of Actin Isoforms in the Phagocytosis of Meningitic Escherichia coli by Macrophages

ZHAO Wenxin^1#, MA Lan^2#, YANG Xueting^2#, LI Jingying^1#, DU Shusong³, ZHANG Xuewei³, ZHAO Weidong³*

(¹The First Clinical Department of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China; ²Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China; ³Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China)

Abstract:

In this study, the THP-1 monocytic cells were induced to macrophages and the expression of actin isoforms was analyzed. We found that β-actin and γ-actin were expressed in macrophages. Results from confocal imaging showed that β-actin and γ-actin in macrophages were differentially polymerized upon infection with meningitic E.coli. Then the β-actin and γ-actin in macrophages were specifically downregulated by siRNA-mediated knockdown. We found that downregulation of β-actin and γ-actin resulted in significant reduction in the phagocytosis of meningitic E.coli by macrophages. Our results thus pointed out that different isoforms of actin played an important role during the phagocytosis of meningitic E.coli by macrophages.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2020.04.0009