For many years this laboratory studied signaling by trimeric G proteins. More recently, we shifted our focus to polarity and chemotaxis of differentiated HL-60 cells, which serve as a model for blood neutrophils. In these cells ligands that activate G protein-coupled receptors trigger complex signaling networks that regulate highly polarized formation of actin assemblies and direct motility toward a source of chemoattractant. We have dissected some of the signals that underlie polarity in these cells and are now trying understand the neutrophil's 'compass,' which allows it to interpret shallow gradients of chemoattractants.

Selected Publications

Buck, E., Bourne, H.R., and Wells, J.A. (2005) Site-specific Disulfide Capture of Agonist and Antagonist Peptides on the C5a Receptor. J. Biol. Chem. 280:4009-4012

Wang, F., Herzmark, P., Weiner, O.D., Srinivasan, S., Servant, G., and Bourne, H.R. (2002) Servant and H. R. Bourne. Lipid products of phosphoinositide 3-kinases maintain persistent cell polarity and directed motility in neutrophils. Nature Cell Biology 4:513-518.

Lichtarge, O., Bourne, H.R., & Cohen, F.E. (1996) An evolutionary trace method defines binding surfaces common to protein families. J. Mol. Biol. 257:342-358.

Craniofacial and Mesenchymal Biology home page

Fat cells in culture

Osteoblast depositing
bone matrix

The UCSF Program in Craniofacial and Mesenchymal Biology

FACULTY

Henry Bourne

Differentiated HL-60 Cells

The UCSF Program
in Craniofacial and Mesenchymal Biology