Abstract
The actin cytoskeleton is dynamically remodeled during Fcgamma receptor (FcgammaR)-mediated phagocytosis in a phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP(2))-dependent manner. We investigated the role of type I phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP5K) gamma and alpha isoforms, which synthesize PIP(2), during phagocytosis. PIP5K-gamma-/- bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) have a highly polymerized actin cytoskeleton and are defective in attachment to IgG-opsonized particles and FcgammaR clustering. Delivery of exogenous PIP(2) rescued these defects. PIP5K-gamma knockout BMM also have more RhoA and less Rac1 activation, and pharmacological manipulations establish that they contribute to the abnormal phenotype. Likewise, depletion of PIP5K-gamma by RNA interference inhibits particle attachment. In contrast, PIP5K-alpha knockout or silencing has no effect on attachment but inhibits ingestion by decreasing Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein activation, and hence actin polymerization, in the nascent phagocytic cup. In addition, PIP5K-gamma but not PIP5K-alpha is transiently activated by spleen tyrosine kinase-mediated phosphorylation. We propose that PIP5K-gamma acts upstream of Rac/Rho and that the differential regulation of PIP5K-gamma and -alpha allows them to work in tandem to modulate the actin cytoskeleton during the attachment and ingestion phases of phagocytosis.