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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Investigating the Function of Coronin A in the Early Starvation Response of Dictyostelium discoideum by Aggregation Assays
Published on: June 18, 2016
Coronin function is required for chemotaxis and phagocytosis in human neutrophils
Ming Yan1, Caterina Di Ciano-Oliveira, Sergio Grinstein
1Programme in Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Coronins are a family of conserved actin-associated proteins that have been implicated in a variety of cellular processes dependent on actin rearrangements. In this study, we show that in primary human neutrophils, coronins-1-4 and -7 are expressed. Coronin-1 accumulates at the leading edge of migrating neutrophils and at the nascent phagosome. Inhibition of coronin function by transduction of a dominant-negative form of the protein leads to inhibition of chemotaxis and a reduction in neutrophil spreading and adhesion. This inhibition appears to correlate with changes in the distribution of F-actin structures within the cell. In addition, phagocytosis is inhibited, but neither secretion nor activation of the NADPH oxidase appears to be affected. Together, these results show that coronins are required for actin-dependent changes in cell morphology that lead to migration and phagocytosis.
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