Differential ability of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory macrophages to perform macropinocytosis.

4 years ago

Differential ability of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory macrophages to perform macropinocytosis.

Johnathan Canton, Michael Gütschow, Sergio Grinstein, Dar'ya S Redka

Macropinocytosis mediates the uptake of antigens and of nutrients that dictate the regulation of cell growth by mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Because these functions differ in pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory macrophages, we compared the macropinocytic ability of two extreme polarization states. We found that anti-inflammatory macrophages perform vigorous macropinocytosis constitutively, while pro-inflammatory cells are virtually inactive. The total cellular content of Rho-family GTPases was higher in anti-inflammatory cells, but this disparity failed to account for the differential macropinocytic activity. Instead, reduced activity of Rac/RhoG was responsible for the deficient macropinocytosis of pro-inflammatory macrophages, as suggested by the stimulatory effects of heterologously expressed guanine nucleotide-exchange factors or of constitutively active (but not wild-type) forms of these GTPases. Similarly, differences in the activation state of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PtdIns3K) correlated with the macropinocytic activity of pro- and anti-inflammatory macrophages. Differences in PtdIns3K and Rho-GTPase activity were attributable to the activity of calcium-sensing receptors (CaSR), which appear to be functional only in anti-inflammatory cells. However, agonists of PtdIns3K, including cytokines, chemokines and LPS, induced macropinocytosis in pro-inflammatory cells. Our findings revealed a striking difference in the macropinocytic ability of pro- and anti-inflammatory macrophages that correlates with their antigen-presenting and metabolic activity.

Publisher URL: http://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E17-06-0419

DOI: 10.1091/mbc.E17-06-0419