Localizing the lipid products of PI3Kγ in neutrophils.

Class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are important regulators of neutrophil migration in response to a range of chemoattractants. Their primary lipid products PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and PtdIns(3,4)P2 preferentially accumulate near to the leading edge of migrating cells and are thought to act as an important cue organizing molecular and morphological polarization. We have investigated the distribution and accumulation of these lipids independently in mouse neutrophils using eGFP-PH reportersand electron microscopy (EM). We found that authentic mouse neutrophils rapidly polarized their Class I PI3K signalling, as read-out by eGFP-PH reporters, both at the up-gradient leading edge in response to local stimulation with fMLP as well as spontaneously and randomly in response to uniform stimulation. EM studies revealed these events occurred at the plasma membrane, were dominated by accumulation of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, but not PtdIns(3,4)P2, and were dependent on PI3Kγ and its upstream activation by both Ras and Gßγs.

The regulatory subunits of PI3Kγ control distinct neutrophil responses.

Neutrophils, which migrate toward inflamed sites and kill pathogens by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), are important in the defense against bacterial and fungal pathogens, but their inappropriate regulation causes various chronic inflammatory diseases. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) functions downstream of proinflammatory G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in neutrophils and is a therapeutic target. In neutrophils, PI3Kγ consists of a p110γ catalytic subunit, which is activated by the guanosine triphosphatase Ras, and either a p84 or p101 regulatory subunit. Loss or inhibition of p110γ or expression of a Ras-insensitive variant p110γ (p110γ(DASAA/DASAA)) impairs PIP3 production, Akt phosphorylation, migration, and ROS formation in response to GPCR activation. The p101 subunit binds to, and mediates PI3Kγ activation by, G protein ßγ subunits, and p101(-/-) neutrophils have a similar phenotype to that of p110γ(-/-) neutrophils, except that ROS responses are normal. We found that p84(-/-) neutrophils displayed reduced GPCR-stimulated PIP3 and Akt signaling, which was indistinguishable from that of p101(-/-) neutrophils. However, p84(-/-) neutrophils produced less ROS and exhibited normal migration in response to GPCR stimulation. These data suggest that p84-containing PI3Kγ controls GPCR-dependent ROS production. Thus, the PI3Kγ regulatory subunits enable PI3Kγ to mediate distinct neutrophil responses, which may occur by targeting PIP3 signaling into spatially distinct domains.