PLoS Biol: dead cells destroy immune cells' response to wounds

May 28, 2019 / BIOON / - a new study found that dead cells can damage the immune response and the immune system's defense against infection The study, led by scientists at the University of Sheffield, shows that programmed dead cells, known as apoptosis, can disrupt the normal function of immune cells called macrophages This may affect their response to wounds and body visits to detect infection Photo source: macrophages are needed at the wound site of PLoS Biology to prevent infection and help heal, but these leukocytes can also cause and worsen many human diseases, including cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases The results, published in the journal PLoS Biology, show that immune cells preferentially remove dead cells, which can hinder their normal migration to the wound site, thereby weakening the immune response The study aims to understand how immune cells are controlled and may help pave the way for new therapies that manipulate these cells and accelerate healing This research gives scientists a new understanding of the mechanisms that control our immune cells, such as how they reach and store in the injured area Dr iwan Evans, of the Department of infection, immunology and cardiovascular disease at the University of Sheffield, who is one of the authors of the paper, said: "if the clearance process goes wrong, it can lead to autoimmune diseases Excessive or inappropriate immune responses can worsen or lead to a wide range of human diseases, from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases This work is about the basic biological process Our body is doing it every day, which is necessary for us to keep healthy "The purpose of this study is to study the interaction between dead cells and immune cells The flies used contain macrophage like cells, which are highly similar to our own immune cells The new study also found a protein called six microns under (or SIMU) that keeps immune cells at the site of injury Without this protein, macrophages would leave the wound prematurely Hannah Roddie, the study's author and research assistant for the infection, immune and cardiovascular disease program at the University of Sheffield, said: "research shows that Drosophila's blood cells respond to injury and death in a way more similar to our own immune cells than we think We are now looking at the signals macrophages use to track dead cells and how they choose between dead cells and wounds We'd like to know how immune cells stay in the injured area (bio Com) reference: Hannah grace Roddie et al Simul dependent clearance of dying cells regulations macrophase function and information resolution, PLoS Biology (2019) Doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006741