Rab8b regulates kidney epithelial cell migration and lamellipodia formation

Cell migration is a central process by which multicellular organisms can be properly established and maintained. Lamellipodia are an actual motor that is critical for cell migration. Rab8b, a member of Rab small GTPase, is known to play a role in secretion, endocytosis and ciliogenesis. However, it remains unknown whether Rab8b is involved in cell migration. In the present study, we show that Rab8b is ubiquitously expressed in the mouse tissues including kidney. We further show that depletion of Rab8b in the kidney epithelial cell line mIMCD-3 resulted in reduced velocity of cell migration, which is likely associated with defective formation of lamellipodia. Our data suggest Rab8b plays an important role in cell migration and lamellipodia formation.