The Mechanisms Involved in Chemotaxis of Immune and Cancer Cells

我们有两个项目。1.CXCR4受体是如何向Elmo/Dock复合体传递信号导致肌动蛋白细胞骨架的？我们在盘状芽孢杆菌中的研究揭示了一种将G蛋白亚基直接连接到Elmo/Dock复合体的新途径。我们正在研究这是否在人类趋化因子受体控制的细胞迁移中进化保守。2.β-arrestin在中性粒细胞趋化中的作用。已知，激活的趋化因子GPCRs与β-arrestin相互作用，β-arrestin带来信号成分并激活不依赖G蛋白的通路。已有研究表明，β-arrestin信号在细胞迁移中起作用，但这一过程的分子机制尚不清楚。我们正在使用中性粒细胞研究这些机制。

We have two projects. 1. How does CXCR4 receptor signaling to Elmo/Dock complex leading to actin cytoskeleton? Our study in D. discoideum revealed a novel pathway linking G-protein subunits directly to Elmo/Dock complex. We are in the process to investigate whether this is evolutionarily conserved in chemokine receptor-controlled cell migration in human. 2. The role of beta-arrestin in neutrophil chemotaxis. It is known that activated chemokine GPCRs interact with beta-arrestin, which brings signaling components and activates pathways independent of G-proteins. It has been suggested that beta-arrestin signaling plays a role in cell migration, but the molecular mechanisms underlining this process are not known. We are in the process to study these mechanisms using neutrophils.