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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Quantitative In vitro Assay to Measure Neutrophil Adhesion to Activated Primary Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells under Static Conditions
Published on: August 23, 2013
The alphaMbeta2 integrin and its role in neutrophil function
Z Li1
1Department of Vascular Biology, American Red Cross, Holland Laboratory, Rockville, MD 20855, USA. zhangl@usa.redcross.org
Abstract:
Neutrophils are the first cell type to arrive at the injury sites and play a critical role in host defense, by virtue of its ability to adhere and transmigrate through endothelium, to phagocytose foreign pathogens, and to produce free oxygen radicals and proteolytic enzymes. Yet, inappropriate neutrophil activation causes tissue damage and various inflammatory diseases. These physiological and pathological functions of neutrophils depend on the engagement of certain surface receptors, especially alphaMbeta2, the major beta2 integrin receptor present on neutrophil surface. Understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ligand binding by alphaMbeta2, as well as the roles of alphaMbeta2-ligand interactions in neutrophil functions will enable us to regulate more precisely neutrophil activities: that is, to promote their host defense functions, and at the same time to minimize their deleterious effects on normal cells.
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