Phagocyte-bacteria interactions.

Evidence that hsp90 is involved in the altered interactions of Acanthamoeba castellanii variants with bacteria.

There are many similarities between the interactions of environmental protozoa with pathogenic bacterial species and those observed in mammalian macrophages. Since single-celled protozoa predate mammalian hosts, it is likely that interactions in environmental biofilms have selected for many of the bacterial virulence mechanisms responsible for human disease. In order to better understand bacter...

A Study of Spatial Formation of Immune Cells

Immune system is a network that recognized viruses and bacteria and destroys those. Two groups of proteins called complement and antibody recognizing those, then cells named phagocyte “eat” those [1]. If each bacteria stays at the same place, all phagocytes have to do is to approach bacteria marked by complements or antibodies, then destroy those. However, bacteria usually can move. It is expec...

Specific host genes required for the killing of Klebsiella bacteria by phagocytes.

The amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum shares many traits with mammalian macrophages, in particular the ability to phagocytose and kill bacteria. In response, pathogenic bacteria use conserved mechanisms to fight amoebae and mammalian phagocytes. Here we developed an assay using Dictyostelium to monitor phagocyte-bacteria interactions. Genetic analysis revealed that the virulence of Klebsiella pne...

Gram-Negative Bacteria NADPH Oxidase Function and Killing of Cutting Edge: MyD88 Controls Phagocyte

Hacker within! Ehrlichia chaffeensis Effector Driven Phagocyte Reprogramming Strategy

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is a small, gram negative, obligately intracellular bacterium that preferentially infects mononuclear phagocytes. It is the etiologic agent of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (HME), an emerging life-threatening tick-borne zoonosis. Mechanisms by which E. chaffeensis establishes intracellular infection, and avoids host defenses are not well understood, but involve functio...

Manipulation of Autophagy in Phagocytes Facilitates Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infection

The capacity for intracellular survival within phagocytes is likely a critical factor facilitating the dissemination of Staphylococcus aureus in the host. To date, the majority of work on S. aureus-phagocyte interactions has focused on neutrophils and, to a lesser extent, macrophages, yet we understand little about the role played by dendritic cells (DCs) in the direct killing of this bacterium...