The role of kindlin in neutrophil recruitment to inflammatory sites

Purpose of reviewSince the discovery of the lack of kindlin-3 expression as the reason for the immunopathology leukocyte adhesion deficiency III syndrome, the role of kindlin-3 in inflammatory processes was investigated in a numerous studies. This review gives an overview about recent findings regarding the role of kindlin-3 in neutrophil activation and recruitment.Recent findingsKindlin-3, together with talin-1, contributes essentially to the activation of (2)-integrins in neutrophils. During inside-out signaling, kindlin-3 binds to the -cytoplasmic integrin tail and is indispensable for the integrin conformational shift into the high-affinity ligand binding conformation, but not for the intermediate (extended) conformation. During outside-in signaling (as a consequence of integrin ligand binding) kindlin-3 interacts with distinct signaling molecules and is required for cell-autonomous functions like migration and spreading.SummaryLeukocyte adhesion deficiency III syndrome, which is caused by absence of kindlin-3, is a rarely occurring disease. However, the investigation of the clinical symptoms as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms gave rise to a huge amount of new insights into the processes of integrin activation in neutrophils and the consequences of defects in these processes.