pHMA, a pH-sensitive GFP reporter for cell engulfment, in Drosophila embryos, tissues, and cells

Elane Fishilevich, James A.J. Fitzpatrick, Jonathan S. Minden

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Engulfment of apoptotic cells by phagocytosis ensures the removal of unwanted and defective cells. We developed a genetically encoded marker for cell engulfment, pHMA, which consists of the pH-Sensitive derivative of GFP, pHluorin, fused to the actin-binding domain of Moesin. In healthy cells of Drosophila embryos and cultured cells, pHMA resides at the cell cortex. In dying cells, pHMA loses its cortical localization and reports a modest decrease in pH. In embryos, the dying cells lose their apical contacts, then move basally and are ultimately engulfed by neighboring cells or macrophages. The cell corpse material is strongly acidified soon after engulfment and persists in the phagocytic cell for several hours. Changes in the pHMA signal correlate well with increases or decreases in apoptosis. These data show that pHMA is a useful reporter for cell engulfment and can be used in screening for mutations that affect cell engulfment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)559-573
Number of pages15
JournalDevelopmental Dynamics
Volume239
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2010

Keywords

  • Cell engulfment
  • Drosophila
  • pHMA

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'pHMA, a pH-sensitive GFP reporter for cell engulfment, in Drosophila embryos, tissues, and cells'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this