The principles of directed cell migration.

Cells have the ability to respond to various types of environmental cues, and in many cases these cues induce directed cell migration towards or away from these signals. How cells sense these cues and how they transmit that information to the cytoskeletal machinery governing cell translocation is one of the oldest and most challenging problems in biology. Chemotaxis, or migration towards diffusible chemical cues, has been studied for more than a century, but information is just now beginning to emerge about how cells respond to other cues, such as substrate-associated cues during haptotaxis (chemical cues on the surface), durotaxis (mechanical substrate compliance) and topotaxis (geometric features of substrate). Here we propose four common principles, or pillars, that underlie all forms of directed migration. First, a signal must be generated, a process that in physiological environments is much more nuanced than early studies suggested. Second, the signal must be sensed, sometimes by cell surface receptors, but also in ways that are not entirely clear, such as in the case of mechanical cues. Third, the signal has to be transmitted from the sensing modules to the machinery that executes the actual movement, a step that often requires amplification. Fourth, the signal has to be converted into the application of asymmetric force relative to the substrate, which involves mostly the cytoskeleton, but perhaps other players as well. Use of these four pillars has allowed us to compare some of the similarities between different types of directed migration, but also to highlight the remarkable diversity in the mechanisms that cells use to respond to different cues provided by their environment.

Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics.

Whole-genome sequencing projects are increasingly populating the tree of life and characterizing biodiversity1-4. Sparse taxon sampling has previously been proposed to confound phylogenetic inference5, and captures only a fraction of the genomic diversity. Here we report a substantial step towards the dense representation of avian phylogenetic and molecular diversity, by analysing 363 genomes from 92.4% of bird families-including 267 newly sequenced genomes produced for phase II of the Bird 10,000 Genomes (B10K) Project. We use this comparative genome dataset in combination with a pipeline that leverages a reference-free whole-genome alignment to identify orthologous regions in greater numbers than has previously been possible and to recognize genomic novelties in particular bird lineages. The densely sampled alignment provides a single-base-pair map of selection, has more than doubled the fraction of bases that are confidently predicted to be under conservation and reveals extensive patterns of weak selection in predominantly non-coding DNA. Our results demonstrate that increasing the diversity of genomes used in comparative studies can reveal more shared and lineage-specific variation, and improve the investigation of genomic characteristics. We anticipate that this genomic resource will offer new perspectives on evolutionary processes in cross-species comparative analyses and assist in efforts to conserve species.

Exosomes mediate LTB4 release during neutrophil chemotaxis.

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is secreted by chemotactic neutrophils, forming a secondary gradient that amplifies the reach of primary chemoattractants. This strategy increases the recruitment range for neutrophils and is important during inflammation. Here, we show that LTB4 and its synthesizing enzymes localize to intracellular multivesicular bodies, which, upon stimulation, release their content as exosomes. Purified exosomes can activate resting neutrophils and elicit chemotactic activity in an LTB4 receptor-dependent manner. Inhibition of exosome release leads to loss of directional motility with concomitant loss of LTB4 release. Our findings establish that the exosomal pool of LTB4 acts in an autocrine fashion to sensitize neutrophils towards the primary chemoattractant, and in a paracrine fashion to mediate the recruitment of neighboring neutrophils in trans. We envision that this mechanism is used by other signals to foster communication between cells in harsh extracellular environments.

The role of the LTB4-BLT1 axis in chemotactic gradient sensing and directed leukocyte migration.

Directed leukocyte migration is a hallmark of inflammatory immune responses. Leukotrienes are derived from arachidonic acid and represent a class of potent lipid mediators of leukocyte migration. In this review, we summarize the essential steps leading to the production of LTB4 in leukocytes. We discuss the recent findings on the exosomal packaging and transport of LTB4 in the context of chemotactic gradients formation and regulation of leukocyte recruitment. We also discuss the dynamic roles of the LTB4 receptors, BLT1 and BLT2, in mediating chemotactic signaling in leukocytes and contrast them to other structurally related leukotrienes that bind to distinct GPCRs. Finally, we highlight the specific roles of the LTB4-BLT1 axis in mediating signal-relay between chemotaxing neutrophils and its potential contribution to a wide variety of inflammatory conditions including tumor progression and metastasis, where LTB4 is emerging as a key signaling component.

The LTB4-BLT1 axis regulates the polarized trafficking of chemoattractant GPCRs during neutrophil chemotaxis.

Neutrophils sense and respond to diverse chemotactic cues through G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). However, the precise trafficking dynamics of chemoattractant GPCRs during neutrophil activation and chemotaxis remain unclear. Here, by using small-molecule inhibitors and CRISPR-based knockouts, we establish that two primary chemoattractant GPCRs - formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) and complement component 5a (C5a) receptor 1 (C5aR1) - internalize in a CDC42-actin-dependent manner. Through live-cell imaging, we demonstrate that, upon stimulation, FPR1 rapidly clusters and re-distributes along the plasma membrane to the trailing edge, where it internalizes and is directionally trafficked towards the front of migrating primary human neutrophils. In contrast to FPR1 and C5aR1, the leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor (BLT1, also known as LTB4R), which relays LTB4 signals in response to primary chemoattractants during neutrophil chemotaxis, fails to internalize upon physiological stimulation with LTB4, N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLF) or C5a. Importantly, we report that blocking the LTB4-BLT1 axis or downstream myosin activation enhances the internalization of FPR1 and C5aR1, thus reducing downstream signaling and impairing chemotaxis to primary chemoattractants. The polarized trafficking of chemoattractant GPCRs and its regulation by the BLT1-mediated myosin activation therefore drives persistent chemotactic signaling in neutrophils.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Adenylyl cyclase A mRNA localized at the back of cells is actively translated in live chemotaxing Dictyostelium.

Dictyostelium discoideum cells transport adenylyl cyclase A (ACA)-containing vesicles to the back of polarized cells to relay exogenous cAMP signals during chemotaxis. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments showed that ACA mRNA is also asymmetrically distributed at the back of polarized cells. By using the MS2 bacteriophage system, we now visualize the distribution of ACA mRNA in live chemotaxing cells. We found that the ACA mRNA localization is not dependent on the translation of the protein product and requires multiple cis-acting elements within the ACA-coding sequence. We show that ACA mRNA is associated with actively translating ribosomes and is transported along microtubules towards the back of cells. By monitoring the recovery of ACA-YFP after photobleaching, we observed that local translation of ACA-YFP occurs at the back of cells. These data represent a novel functional role for localized translation in the relay of chemotactic signals during chemotaxis.

Exosomes Mediate LTB4 Release during Neutrophil Chemotaxis.

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is secreted by chemotactic neutrophils, forming a secondary gradient that amplifies the reach of primary chemoattractants. This strategy increases the recruitment range for neutrophils and is important during inflammation. Here, we show that LTB4 and its synthesizing enzymes localize to intracellular multivesicular bodies that, upon stimulation, release their content as exosomes. Purified exosomes can activate resting neutrophils and elicit chemotactic activity in a LTB4 receptor-dependent manner. Inhibition of exosome release leads to loss of directional motility with concomitant loss of LTB4 release. Our findings establish that the exosomal pool of LTB4 acts in an autocrine fashion to sensitize neutrophils towards the primary chemoattractant, and in a paracrine fashion to mediate the recruitment of neighboring neutrophils in trans. We envision that this mechanism is used by other signals to foster communication between cells in harsh extracellular environments.

Bacterial Siderophores Hijack Neutrophil Functions.

Neutrophils are the primary immune cells that respond to inflammation and combat microbial transgression. To thrive, the bacteria residing in their mammalian host have to withstand the antibactericidal responses of neutrophils. We report that enterobactin (Ent), a catecholate siderophore expressed by Escherichia coli, inhibited PMA-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in mouse and human neutrophils. Ent also impaired the degranulation of primary granules and inhibited phagocytosis and bactericidal activity of neutrophils, without affecting their migration and chemotaxis. Molecular analysis revealed that Ent can chelate intracellular labile iron that is required for neutrophil oxidative responses. Other siderophores (pyoverdine, ferrichrome, deferoxamine) likewise inhibited ROS and NETs in neutrophils, thus indicating that the chelation of iron may largely explain their inhibitory effects. To counter iron theft by Ent, neutrophils rely on the siderophore-binding protein lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) in a "tug-of-war" for iron. The inhibition of neutrophil ROS and NETs by Ent was augmented in Lcn2-deficient neutrophils compared with wild-type neutrophils but was rescued by the exogenous addition of recombinant Lcn2. Taken together, our findings illustrate the novel concept that microbial siderophore's iron-scavenging property may serve as an antiradical defense system that neutralizes the immune functions of neutrophils.

Neutrophil swarms require LTB4 and integrins at sites of cell death in vivo.

Neutrophil recruitment from blood to extravascular sites of sterile or infectious tissue damage is a hallmark of early innate immune responses, and the molecular events leading to cell exit from the bloodstream have been well defined. Once outside the vessel, individual neutrophils often show extremely coordinated chemotaxis and cluster formation reminiscent of the swarming behaviour of insects. The molecular players that direct this response at the single-cell and population levels within the complexity of an inflamed tissue are unknown. Using two-photon intravital microscopy in mouse models of sterile injury and infection, we show a critical role for intercellular signal relay among neutrophils mediated by the lipid leukotriene B4, which acutely amplifies local cell death signals to enhance the radius of highly directed interstitial neutrophil recruitment. Integrin receptors are dispensable for long-distance migration, but have a previously unappreciated role in maintaining dense cellular clusters when congregating neutrophils rearrange the collagenous fibre network of the dermis to form a collagen-free zone at the wound centre. In this newly formed environment, integrins, in concert with neutrophil-derived leukotriene B4 and other chemoattractants, promote local neutrophil interaction while forming a tight wound seal. This wound seal has borders that cease to grow in kinetic concert with late recruitment of monocytes and macrophages at the edge of the displaced collagen fibres. Together, these data provide an initial molecular map of the factors that contribute to neutrophil swarming in the extravascular space of a damaged tissue. They reveal how local events are propagated over large-range distances, and how auto-signalling produces coordinated, self-organized neutrophil-swarming behaviour that isolates the wound or infectious site from surrounding viable tissue.

Asymmetric nanotopography biases cytoskeletal dynamics and promotes unidirectional cell guidance.

Many biological and physiological processes depend upon directed migration of cells, which is typically mediated by chemical or physical gradients or by signal relay. Here we show that cells can be guided in a single preferred direction based solely on local asymmetries in nano/microtopography on subcellular scales. These asymmetries can be repeated, and thereby provide directional guidance, over arbitrarily large areas. The direction and strength of the guidance is sensitive to the details of the nano/microtopography, suggesting that this phenomenon plays a context-dependent role in vivo. We demonstrate that appropriate asymmetric nano/microtopography can unidirectionally bias internal actin polymerization waves and that cells move with the same preferred direction as these waves. This phenomenon is observed both for the pseudopod-dominated migration of the amoeboid Dictyostelium discoideum and for the lamellipod-driven migration of human neutrophils. The conservation of this mechanism across cell types and the asymmetric shape of many natural scaffolds suggest that actin-wave-based guidance is important in biology and physiology.

Adenylyl cyclase mRNA localizes to the posterior of polarized DICTYOSTELIUM cells during chemotaxis.

BACKGROUND: In Dictyostelium discoideum, vesicular transport of the adenylyl cyclase A (ACA) to the posterior of polarized cells is essential to relay exogenous 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signals during chemotaxis and for the collective migration of cells in head-to-tail arrangements called streams. RESULTS: Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we discovered that the ACA mRNA is asymmetrically distributed at the posterior of polarized cells. Using both standard estimators and Monte Carlo simulation methods, we found that the ACA mRNA enrichment depends on the position of the cell within a stream, with the posterior localization of ACA mRNA being strongest for cells at the end of a stream. By monitoring the recovery of ACA-YFP after cycloheximide (CHX) treatment, we observed that ACA mRNA and newly synthesized ACA-YFP first emerge as fluorescent punctae that later accumulate to the posterior of cells. We also found that the ACA mRNA localization requires 3' ACA cis-acting elements. CONCLUSIONS: Together, our findings suggest that the asymmetric distribution of ACA mRNA allows the local translation and accumulation of ACA protein at the posterior of cells. These data represent a novel functional role for localized translation in the relay of chemotactic signal during chemotaxis.

Phosphorylation of chemoattractant receptors regulates chemotaxis, actin reorganization and signal relay.

Migratory cells, including mammalian leukocytes and Dictyostelium, use G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling to regulate MAPK/ERK, PI3K, TORC2/AKT, adenylyl cyclase and actin polymerization, which collectively direct chemotaxis. Upon ligand binding, mammalian GPCRs are phosphorylated at cytoplasmic residues, uncoupling G-protein pathways, but activating other pathways. However, connections between GPCR phosphorylation and chemotaxis are unclear. In developing Dictyostelium, secreted cAMP serves as a chemoattractant, with extracellular cAMP propagated as oscillating waves to ensure directional migratory signals. cAMP oscillations derive from transient excitatory responses of adenylyl cyclase, which then rapidly adapts. We have studied chemotactic signaling in Dictyostelium that express non-phosphorylatable cAMP receptors and show through chemotaxis modeling, single-cell FRET imaging, pure and chimeric population wavelet quantification, biochemical analyses and TIRF microscopy, that receptor phosphorylation is required to regulate adenylyl cyclase adaptation, long-range oscillatory cAMP wave production and cytoskeletal actin response. Phosphorylation defects thus promote hyperactive actin polymerization at the cell periphery, misdirected pseudopodia and the loss of directional chemotaxis. Our data indicate that chemoattractant receptor phosphorylation is required to co-regulate essential pathways for migratory cell polarization and chemotaxis. Our results significantly extend the understanding of the function of GPCR phosphorylation, providing strong evidence that this evolutionarily conserved mechanism is required in a signal attenuation pathway that is necessary to maintain persistent directional movement of Dictyostelium, neutrophils and other migratory cells.

Discoidin domain receptor 2 regulates neutrophil chemotaxis in 3D collagen matrices.

Neutrophils express a variety of collagen receptors at their surface, yet their functional significance remains unclear. Although integrins are essential for neutrophil adhesion and migration on 2-dimensional (2D) surfaces, neutrophils can compensate for the absence of integrins in 3-dimensional (3D) lattices. In contrast, we demonstrate that the inhibition of the tyrosine-kinase collagen receptor discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) has no impact on human primary neutrophil migration on 2D surfaces but is an important regulator of neutrophil chemotaxis in 3D collagen matrices. In this context, we show that DDR2 activation specifically regulates the directional migration of neutrophils in chemoattractant gradients. We further demonstrate that DDR2 regulates directionality through its ability to increase secretion of metalloproteinases and local generation of collagen-derived chemotactic peptide gradients. Our findings highlight the importance of collagen-derived extracellular signaling during neutrophil chemotaxis in 3D matrices.

The ins-and-outs of exosome biogenesis, secretion, and internalization.

Exosomes are specialized cargo delivery vesicles secreted from cells by fusion of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) with the plasma membrane (PM). While the function of exosomes during physiological and pathological events has been extensively reported, there remains a lack of understanding of the mechanisms that regulate exosome biogenesis, secretion, and internalization. Recent technological and methodological advances now provide details about MVB/exosome structure as well as the pathways of exosome biogenesis, secretion, and uptake. In this review, we outline our current understanding of these processes and highlight outstanding questions following on recent discoveries in the field.

Neutrophils secrete exosome-associated DNA to resolve sterile acute inflammation.

Acute inflammation, characterized by a rapid influx of neutrophils, is a protective response that can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases when left unresolved. Secretion of LTB 4 -containing exosomes is required for effective neutrophil infiltration during inflammation. In this study, we show that neutrophils release nuclear DNA in a non-lytic, rapid, and repetitive manner, via a mechanism distinct from suicidal NET release and cell death. The packaging of nuclear DNA occurs in the lumen of nuclear envelope (NE)-derived multivesicular bodies (MVBs) that harbor the LTB 4 synthesizing machinery and is mediated by the lamin B receptor (LBR) and chromatin decondensation. Disruption of secreted exosome-associated DNA (SEAD) in a model of sterile inflammation in mouse skin amplifies and prolongs the presence of neutrophils, impeding the onset of resolution. Together, these findings advance our understanding of neutrophil functions during inflammation and the physiological significance of NETs, with implications for novel treatments for inflammatory disorders.

Constitutive reductions in mTOR alter cell size, immune cell development, and antibody production.

Mammalian TOR (mTOR) regulates cell growth, proliferation, and migration. Because mTOR knock-outs are embryonic lethal, we generated a viable hypomorphic mouse by neo-insertion that partially disrupts mTOR transcription and creates a potential physiologic model of mTORC1/TORC2 inhibition. Homozygous knock-in mice exhibited reductions in body, organ, and cell size. Although reductions in most organ sizes were proportional to decreased body weight, spleens were disproportionately smaller. Decreases in the total number of T cells, particularly memory cells, and reduced responses to chemokines suggested alterations in T-cell homing/homeostasis. T-cell receptor-stimulated T cells proliferated less, produced lower cytokine levels, and expressed FoxP3. Decreased neutrophil numbers were also observed in the spleen, despite normal development and migration in the bone marrow. However, B-cell effects were most pronounced, with a partial block in B-cell development in the bone marrow, altered splenic populations, and decreases in proliferation, antibody production, and migration to chemokines. Moreover, increased AKT(Ser473) phosphorylation was observed in activated B cells, reminiscent of cancers treated with rapamycin, and was reduced by a DNA-pk inhibitor. Thus, mTOR is required for the maturation and differentiation of multiple immune cell lineages. These mice provide a novel platform for studying the consequences of constitutively reduced mTORC1/TORC2 activity.

Cell shape dynamics: from waves to migration.

We observe and quantify wave-like characteristics of amoeboid migration. Using the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, a model system for the study of chemotaxis, we demonstrate that cell shape changes in a wave-like manner. Cells have regions of high boundary curvature that propagate from the leading edge toward the back, usually along alternating sides of the cell. Curvature waves are easily seen in cells that do not adhere to a surface, such as cells that are electrostatically repelled from surfaces or cells that extend over the edge of micro-fabricated cliffs. Without surface contact, curvature waves travel from the leading edge to the back of a cell at -35 µm/min. Non-adherent myosin II null cells do not exhibit these curvature waves. At the leading edge of adherent cells, curvature waves are associated with protrusive activity. Like regions of high curvature, protrusive activity travels along the boundary in a wave-like manner. Upon contact with a surface, the protrusions stop moving relative to the surface, and the boundary shape thus reflects the history of protrusive motion. The wave-like character of protrusions provides a plausible mechanism for the zig-zagging of pseudopods and for the ability of cells both to swim in viscous fluids and to navigate complex three dimensional topography.

Phosphoinositides in chemotaxis.

Phosphatidylinositol lipids generated through the action of phosphinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) are key mediators of a wide array of biological responses. In particular, their role in the regulation of cell migration has been extensively studied and extends to amoeboid as well as mesenchymal migration. Through the emergence of fluorescent probes that target PI3K products as well as the use of specific inhibitors and knockout technologies, the spatio-temporal distribution of PI3K products in chemotaxing cells has been shown to represent a key anterior polarity signal that targets downstream effectors to actin polymerization. In addition, through intricate cross-talk networks PI3K products have been shown to regulate signals that control posterior effectors. Yet, in more complex environments or in conditions where chemoattractant gradients are steep, a variety of cell types can still chemotax in the absence of PI3K signals. Indeed, parallel signal transduction pathways have been shown to coordinately regulate cell polarity and directed movement. In this chapter, we will review the current role PI3K products play in the regulation of directed cell migration in various cell types, highlight the importance of mathematical modeling in the study of chemotaxis, and end with a brief overview of other signaling cascades known to also regulate chemotaxis.