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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Phagosome Migration and Velocity Measured in Live Primary Human Macrophages Infected with HIV-1
Published on: September 5, 2016
Does a genetically determined aggressive locomotion favour the establishment of intracellular macrophage parasites?
E D Shields1, P B Noble, D Radzioch
1Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Que., Canada.
Abstract:
A novel computerized methodology was used to quantify, for the first time, the 3-dimensional locomotory phenotypes of individual macrophages moving within an extracellular matrix-like hydrated collagen lattice/gel. Comparisons between two macrophage lines genetically susceptible to intracellular parasites (B10S4 and ANA-1) and two genetically resistant (B10R4 and CD2) demonstrated that Bcgs alleles consistently endowed macrophages with an outward searching and active locomotion, whereas Bcgr imparted a retrocessive phenotype. Several different macrophage pathogens may have exploited this genetically determined aggressive locomotory behavior of susceptible macrophages to allow them to rapidly enter a sanctuary.
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