Chang Duk Jun
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of South Korea
Title: An essential role for TAGLN2 in phagocytosis of lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages
Biography
Biography: Chang Duk Jun
Abstract
Activated macrophages have a greater ability of phagocytosis against pathogens that is mediated by large-scale actin rearrangement. However, molecular machineries that conduct this task have not been fully identified. Here, we demonstrate an unanticipated role of TAGLN2, a 22-kDa actin-binding protein, in Toll-like receptor (TLR)-stimulated phagocytosis. TAGLN2 was greatly induced in macrophages in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a ligand for TLR4, partly via the NF-κB pathway. TAGLN2-deficient macrophages (TAGLN2-/-) showed defective phagocytic functions of IgM- and IgG-coated sheep red blood cells as well as bacteria. Cell signaling pathways involved in actin rearrangement-PI3 kinase/AKT and Ras-ERK were also down-regulated in LPS-stimulated TAGLN2-deficient macrophages. Moreover, TAGLN2-/- mice showed higher mortality after bacterial infection than wild-type littermates. Thus, our results revealed a novel function of TAGLN2 as a molecular armament required for host defense.