Research report 2012 - Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

Immunity and development - two sides of a coin?

Authors
Zychlinsky, Arturo
Departments
Abteilung Zelluläre Mikrobiologie
Summary
Neutrophils make up the majority of white blood cells in humans. They are part of the immune system and have many ways to fight pathogens. One of their strategies is to cast net-like extracellular structures called Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs). NETs consist of DNA, histones, and specific proteins. DNA and histones, however, are also responsible for organizing the genetic information and regulating the development of an organism. The Department of Cellular Microbiology works on this tight link between immunity and development.

For the full text, see the German version.

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