Dresden 2017 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 6: Cell Mechanics (Joint Session BP/DY)
BP 6.4: Talk
Monday, March 20, 2017, 16:00–16:15, SCH A251
Biophysics of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation — •Daniel Meyer1, Elsa Neubert1,2, Anja Kwaczala-Tessmann2, Susanne Senger-Sander2, Michael P. Schön2, Luise Erpenbeck2, and Sebastian Kruss1 — 1Institute of Physical Chemistry, Göttingen University, Germany — 2Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
Neutrophils are the most abundant type of immune cells in the human blood system and central for immune defense. Recently, it was found that neutrophils and other cells are able to catch and kill pathogens by expelling a fibril network made from their own DNA (neutrophil extracellular traps, NETs). During this process (NETosis), a massive rearrangement of the materials inside the cell takes place which is still poorly understood. Our results show that NETosis can be divided into three distinct phases. The chromatin decondenses out of the disassembled nucleus until it fills the complete cell lumen. Simultaneously, the cytoskeleton decomposes and the cells become softer. In the final phase the cell body rounds up yet stays adherent to the surface, and the cytoplasmic membrane ruptures releasing the NET to the extracellular space. Using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) together with fluorescence microscopy methods, we demonstrate how the NETs-release is temporarily regulated by chromatin swelling, changes within the cytoskeletal components as well as the mechanical properties of the cell.