Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting - June 28-July 1, 2015

New Biological Frontiers Illuminated by Molecular Sensors and Actuators

Poster Abstracts

19-POS Board 19 Synthetically Rerouting Phagocytosis by Rapidly Turning Inert Cells into “Eat You” Mode Toru Komatsu 1,4 , Hiroki Onuma 1 , Tetsuo Nagano 2 , Yasuteru Urano 1,3 .Takanari Inoue 5 . 1 The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, 3 The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, 4 JST PRESTO, Tokyo, Japan, 5 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. 2 The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Cells communicate with outside environment through surface molecules. In order to engineer the surface property of intact living cells on a rapid timescale, we developed a technique with which a protein of interest can be displayed at the cell surface within 15 minutes by adding a chemical dimerizer. In particular, we rapidly displayed a C2 domain of MFG-E8 protein, endowing cells with an ability to selectively bind to apoptotic cells through externalized phosphatidylserine. While this was not sufficient for engulfment of apoptotic cells, additional presence of active Rac in the surface engineered cells triggered engulfment. The surface engineering technique provides a powerful way to immediately alter cellular property, facilitate understanding of cellular communication skills, and may also be employed for cell-based therapy to eliminate targeted cells in living animals.
Reference: Sci. Signaling, 7, 334, rs4 (2014)