Localization of PIP2 in HGF-stimulated epithelial cell migration and Integrin Recycling
Open Access
- Author:
- Buskirk, Austin
- Area of Honors:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Lorraine C Santy, Thesis Supervisor
Teh-Hui Kao, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- epithelial cell migration
integrin recycling
Phosphatidylinositol-4
5-biphosphate (PIP2)
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Endosomal System - Abstract:
- Epithelial cell migration is a physiological process that is important for the survival of many multicellular organisms. This process is critical for tissue renewal and repair as well as countless developmental components of various organisms. While the process of epithelial cell migration is critical for the survival of many organisms, disruption of epithelial cell migration can prove to be a prominent component of many diseases, including metastatic cancer and fibrosis. Due to the results of previously completed research, it is theorized that a phospholipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), binds other proteins to facilitate integrin recycling. As such, it can be suggested that PIP2 is a central component in integrin recycling and epithelial cell migration. This study was designed to study the localization and importance of PIP2 during integrin recycling. Adhesion assays conducted on HeLa cells, a cervical cell cancer line, were designed to study the impact of PIP2 in different endosomal compartments within HeLa cells, such as Rab7, Rab8, and Rab11. This was done by recruiting an enzyme capable of inactivating PIP2 to the varying endosomal compartments of interest and then quantifying the ability of the cells to adhere by using an adhesion assay in coordination with atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results indicate that PIP2 presence within the endosomal recycling pathway may have a significant impact on the ability of HeLa cells to recycle integrins.