Lis1 regulates Phagocytosis by co-localising with actin in the Phagocytic cup

Abstract

Phagocytosis, the ingestion of solid particles by cells, is essential for nutrient uptake, innate immune response, antigen presentation and organelle homeostasis. Here we show that Lissencephaly-1 (Lis1), a well-known regulator of the microtubule motor Dynein, also co-localises with actin at the phagocytic cup in the early stages of phagocytosis. Both knockdown and overexpression of Lis1 perturbs phagocytosis, suggesting that an optimum level of Lis1 is required to regulate actin dynamics within the phagocytic cup during particle engulfment. This requirement of Lis1 is replicated in mouse macrophage cells as well as in the amoeba Dictyostelium, indicating an evolutionarily conserved role for Lis1 in phagocytosis. In support of these findings, a general role for Lis1 in regulating actin dynamics is suggested by observing defective migration of cells overexpressing Lis1. Taken together, Lis1 localises to the phagocytic cup and influences actin dynamics in a manner that is important for the uptake of solid particles in cells.