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Published on: December 9, 2025
Regulation of leukocyte locomotion by Ca2+
1Department of Pathology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Abstract:
Neutrophils migrate towards sites of inflammation and infection by chemotaxis. Their motility is dependent on the actin cytoskeleton and on adhesion to extracellular substrates, but how these are regulated in response to stimuli is not clear. This review focuses on the potential role of Ca(2+) as a second messenger in neutrophil motility. Several effects of Ca(2+) and Ca(2+)-binding proteins on the stability and crosslinking of actin polymers have been demonstrated in vitro. Nevertheless, the complex mechanism by which Ca(2+) regulates actin in neutrophils is not fully understood. In addition, intracellular Ca(2+) regulates the intergin-mediated adhesion of neutrophils to extracellular matrix.
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