Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published April 1996 | Published
Journal Article Open

Shape oscillations of human neutrophil leukocytes: characterization and relationship to cell motility

Abstract

When neutrophil leukocytes are stimulated by chemotactic factors or by substratum contact, they change their shape. Shape changes are a prerequisite for cellular migration and typically involve the extrusion of thin, veil-like lamellipods and the development of morphological polarity. Stimulation also leads to changes in the neutrophil content of filamentous actin (F-actin), which is the major cytoskeletal component. Suspensions of human neutrophils stimulated with chemoattractants exhibit sinusoidal light-scattering oscillations with a period of approximately 8 s at 37°C. These oscillations arise from periodic fluctuations in the cell body size caused by lamellipod extension and retraction cycles. The light-scattering oscillations are paralleled by corresponding oscillations in F-actin content. This raises the interesting possibility that cyclic actin polymerization constitutes the driving force for shape oscillations of suspended neutrophils. Similar periodic shape changes are present in neutrophils crawling on a surface, suggesting that shape oscillations are important for neutrophil motion. This review summarizes our present knowledge about shape oscillations in suspended and crawling neutrophils and discusses a possible role for these oscillations in neutrophil motility.

Additional Information

© 1996 The Company of Biologists Limited. Accepted 12 December 1995. This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of PD Dr David A. Deranleau. This work was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (31-36467.92 to D.A.D.) and the National Institutes of Health (RO1-AI23547 to T.D.C.). M.U.E. is a recipient of a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Attached Files

Published - EHRjeb96.pdf

Files

EHRjeb96.pdf
Files (79.0 kB)
Name Size Download all
md5:fe28687bfe6c54ff88c1f8365e9e9ff0
79.0 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 24, 2023