Cdc42-interacting protein-4 functionally links actin and microtubule networks at the cytolytic NK cell immunological synapse.

ABSTRACT: An essential function of the immunological synapse (IS) is directed secretion. NK cells are especially adept at this activity, as they direct lytic granules to the synapse for secretion, which enables cytotoxicity and facilitates host defense. This initially requires rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton and, subsequently, microtubule-dependent trafficking of the lytic granules. As these two steps are sequential, specific linkages between them are likely to serve as critical regulators of cytotoxicity. We studied Cdc42-interacting protein-4 (CIP4), which constitutively interacts with tubulin and microtubules but focuses to the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) after NK cell activation, when it is able to associate with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) and the actin filament-ric

SUBMITTER: Banerjee PP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2118451 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature