hagocytosis in chlim/Rab21Q66L and limF/Rab21Q66L cells. Expression of the constitutively active Rab21Q66L is unable to rescue phagocytosis in cells deficient for LimF, while Rab21Q66L and chlim/Rab21Q66L cells show similarly elevated rates of phagocytosis. To examine further the inter-relationships among LimF, ChLim, and Rab21, we analyzed phagocytosis in cells deficient for both LimF and ChLim and in & 2005 European Molecular Biology Organization Rab21 Salvianic acid A site regulation of phagocytosis T Khurana et al domain of ABP-120/filamin in fusion with GFP. In the presence of yeast, there is an initial enrichment of actin at the site of phagocytosis, but also & 2005 European Molecular Biology Organization Rab21 regulation of phagocytosis T Khurana et al rapid dissociation once the yeast particle becomes internalized. We were unable to detect consistent association of the LIMChLim region with internalized yeast. Although LIMChLim may be too broadly distributed to permit localized imaging, ChLim association with phagosomes is clearly functionally initiated in a CH-dependent manner. The LIM region appears to be required to maintain association with the yeast particles as they transit from the cortex; however, it may not be capable of secondary association in the absence of the initiating function of the CH domain. Finally, we have demonstrated that YFP-LimF is also enriched at the phagocytic cup in a manner similar to that of ChLim, although we have been unable to observe unequivocal association of YFP-Rab21 with phagocytic vesicles. Discussion Phagocytosis is fundamental to the survival of a broad variety of organisms. Many unicellular species rely on microbial and particle engulfment for nutrient capture. Multicellular animals have extended this response for purposes of host defense against invading microbial pathogens and for the regulation of specific developmental pathways. We have described a novel complex comprised of a Rab21 ortholog and LIM proteins that regulates phagocytic activity in Dictyostelium and suggest that a functionally similar pathway for Rab21 regulation may mediate phagocytic control in other species. Activated Rab21-GTP positively regulates phagocytosis. In contrast, loss of ChLim increases the rate of phagocytosis indicating that it has an inhibitory role. Further, since loss of ChLim is unable to rescue the low phagocytic rates of cells expressing the dominant-negative Rab21T21N, ChLim must lie upstream in the regulatory pathway. Like Rab21-GTP, LimF is a phagocytic activator. The PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19805376 Rab GTPases comprise a large family of proteins that target specific intracellular compartments and regulate distinct pathways of membrane trafficking. In the activated, GTP-bound state, Rab subtypes recruit discrete effectors to promote vesicle formation and movement and membrane fusion. Rab subtypes can be classified into broad groupings on the basis of their aminoacid sequence relationships. Group V includes mammalian Rab subtypes 5, 22A, & 2005 European Molecular Biology Organization 21, and 31. Rab5 is the most ancient and may be expressed ubiquitously. Rab21 is absent in yeast, but is expressed in Dictyostelium, nematodes, and Drosophila. Rab5 and Rab22A appear to exhibit unique involvement in phagosome formation and early endosome trafficking. Little, however, has been published on the function of Rab21 in any system. Our data suggest that Rab21-GTP, like Rab5, plays a fundamental role in phagosome formation and early endocytic 
pathways. The col