Membrane ruffling, macropinocytosis and antigen presentation in the absence of gelsolin in murine dendritic cells

Eur J Immunol. 1999 Nov;29(11):3450-5. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-4141(199911)29:11<3450::AID-IMMU3450>3.0.CO;2-A.

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that mice lacking the actin-severing and capping protein gelsolin have defects in leukocyte and platelet function. Moreover, dermal fibroblasts from gelsolin knockout (Gsn(-)) mice showed substantially reduced motility, membrane ruffling and pinocytosis. We have generated dendritic cells (DC) from spleens of Gsn(-) mice to investigate the importance of gelsolin in antigen endocytosis and processing. We show here that Gsn(-) DC produce apparently normal membrane ruffles which can resolve to form large macropinosomes. Moreover, presentation of exogenous antigens on both MHC class II and class I molecules was equivalent in Gsn(-) and wild-type DC. Thus the major rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton needed for DC antigen uptake and presentation can proceed in the absence of a major actin filament regulatory protein.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antigen Presentation / immunology*
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Gelsolin / genetics
  • Gelsolin / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Pinocytosis / immunology*

Substances

  • Gelsolin