Transport of phagosomes in mouse peritoneal macrophages

Abstract

Mouse macrophages were elicited by the peritoneal injection of chondroitin sulfate solution, harvested and purified, and used as experimental materials. Small and large (diameter: 0.9 microns and 3.0 microns, respectively) polystyrene beads (PB) were used as ingested particles. When the macrophages were incubated with Hank's solution containing small or large PB for 30 min, the phagosomes containing small or large PB were usually randomly distributed. When the macrophages were further incubated for 45 min in PB-free medium, both small and large phagosomes containing PB accumulated at the perinuclear region. The transport of large phagosomes containing 3.0 microns PB was inhibited by cytochalasin B, but not by vinblastine or podophyllotoxin. Conversely, the transport of small phagosomes containing 0.9 microns PB was not inhibited by cytochalasin B but was inhibited by vinblastine or podophyllotoxin. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that the small phagosomes appeared to accumulate at the central region of the microtubule network. The large phagosomes, on the other hand, appeared to be surrounded by actin-rich cytoplasm, and in some cells actin filament-like structures could be seen around large phagosomes. These results suggest that there are two different transport systems of phagosomes in macrophages. Phagosomes smaller than 0.9 microns in diameter are, probably, mainly transported to the perinuclear region by a microtubule-based motility system and those larger than 3.0 microns in diameter by an actin-based mechanism. It was observed electron-microscopically that accumulated phagosomes containing PB could fuse with each other and form larger phagosomes.