Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF, 935K) PPT slides of all figures Alert me when this article is cited Services Email this article Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new content in the JCB Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

© The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525/2003/7/13-b $5.00
The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 162, Number 1, 13-b-13

Dying cells say come-hither

Apoptotic cells (black bars) secrete a lipid message that lures macrophages. Wesselborg/Elsevier

Apoptotic cells are swallowed whole by phagocytes before they can release intracellular molecules that might produce inflammatory responses. Phagocytes get their instructions from cell surface markers on the dying cells. But in an entire organism the chances that the scavengers will encounter a dying cell in time are low. In a recent report, Kirsten Lauber, Sebastian Wesselborg (University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany), and colleagues show that apoptotic cells ensure their discovery by sending a long-distance chemotactic message to phagocytes. The new discovery reveals an additional signaling pathway that may be impaired in patients with autoimmune diseases.

The attractive signal for phagocytes was identified as lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), a hydrolysis product of a plasma membrane phospholipid. LPC was released from apoptotic cells of various types via caspase-3–mediated activation of the calcium-independent form of phospholipase A₂ (iPLA₂). Inhibition of either caspase-3 or iPLA₂ blocked chemotaxis of macrophages in vitro. The group also showed that culture supernatants of apoptotic cells injected under the skin of mice caused macrophages to invade the injected area.

The phagocyte side of the story has yet to be worked out. For instance, it is not clear which receptors recognize LPC. Possibilities include G-protein–coupled receptors such as G2A, which binds to LPC and stimulates migration of blood cells.

Reference:

Lauber, K., et al. 2003. Cell. 113:717–730.[CrossRef][Medline]

Nicole LeBrasseur and Nicole LeBrasseur

lebrasn{at}rockefeller.edu

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This Article Full Text (PDF, 935K) PPT slides of all figures Alert me when this article is cited Services Email this article Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new content in the JCB Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Articles by LeBrasseur, N. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?