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Microtubule-dependent regulation of Rho GTPases during internalisation of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Karen McGee1, Per Holmfeldt, Maria Fällman

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden.

FEBS Letters
|December 31, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Microtubules regulate Rho GTPases during Yersinia pseudotuberculosis uptake. Disrupting microtubules suppressed bacterial internalization, but Vav2 expression prevented this effect, highlighting its role in Rho GTPase activation.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Yersinia pseudotuberculosis internalizes into host cells through bacterial invasin binding to beta1 integrins.
  • This process relies on the actin cytoskeleton and various signaling molecules, including Src family kinases and Rho GTPases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the microtubule system in regulating Rho GTPases during Yersinia pseudotuberculosis uptake.
  • To elucidate the involvement of Vav2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, in this process.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing HeLa cells and treating them with microtubule-disrupting agents (nocodazole, paclitaxel).
  • Manipulating Rho GTPase (Rac, Cdc42, RhoG, RhoA) and Vav2 expression levels.
  • Overexpressing p50 dynamitin to assess its impact on bacterial uptake.

Main Results:

  • Microtubule disruption significantly suppressed Yersinia pseudotuberculosis uptake.
  • Overexpression of specific Rho GTPases partially rescued the uptake defect caused by nocodazole.
  • Vav2 expression completely prevented the inhibitory effect of nocodazole and also blocked the effect of p50 dynamitin.

Conclusions:

  • Microtubules play a crucial role in regulating Rho GTPases during Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-mediated phagocytosis.
  • Vav2 acts as a key guanine nucleotide exchange factor that can functionally substitute for microtubules in activating Rho GTPases for bacterial internalization.

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