Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026
07:14
Light Preference Assay to Study Innate and Circadian Regulated Photobehavior in Drosophila Larvae
Published on: April 20, 2013
Throwing light on DARC
1Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Brunnerstr. 59, A-1230 Vienna, Austria.
Biochemical Society Transactions
|November 1, 2006
Summary
Silent chemokine receptors, like Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC), regulate leukocyte trafficking. DARC influences chemokine localization and availability, impacting immune cell movement and inflammatory responses.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Chemokines are crucial for directing leukocyte trafficking and immune responses.
- Effective regulation of leukocyte recruitment necessitates precise chemokine localization and temporal control.
- Silent chemokine receptors, such as Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC), modulate these processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of DARC in regulating chemokine activity and leukocyte trafficking.
- To understand how DARC influences chemokine localization and availability in different compartments.
Main Methods:
- Review of experimental evidence on DARC function in endothelial cells and erythrocytes.
- Analysis of DARC's involvement in chemokine accumulation, transcytosis, and presentation.
- Examination of DARC's capacity to act as a chemokine sink in the bloodstream.
Main Results:
- DARC facilitates the accumulation and presentation of chemokines on endothelial cell surfaces, promoting leukocyte adhesion and emigration.
- DARC expressed on erythrocytes sequesters chemokines in the blood, limiting their systemic dissemination.
- This sequestration by DARC reduces the impact of chemokines on circulating leukocytes.
Conclusions:
- DARC plays a dual role in chemokine regulation, enhancing local recruitment while limiting systemic spread.
- DARC's function as a silent receptor is critical for fine-tuning immune cell trafficking and inflammatory processes.
- Understanding DARC's mechanisms offers insights into controlling leukocyte-mediated inflammatory diseases.
Related Concept Videos
01:35Light as Energy
The energy required to carry out photosynthesis is light— typically electromagnetic radiation from the sun. The range of all possible wavelengths is known as the electromagnetic spectrum.
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit less...
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit less...
01:11Blinding
Blinding is a commonly used method of not telling participants which treatment a subject is receiving. Blinding is a critical part of a randomized control trial or RCT. It reduces the bias that affects the results. In an RCT, blinding is used in the form of a placebo. A placebo effect occurs when untreated subjects falsely believe they have received the treatment and report improved symptoms. A placebo or a dummy treatment is administered to subjects to negate the bias caused by such an effect.
01:27Schottky Barrier Diode
Schottky barrier diodes are specialized semiconductor devices characterized by their unique construction. This construction involves combining a metal layer with a moderately doped n-type semiconductor material. This combination leads to the formation of a Schottky barrier, a pivotal element that defines the diode's operational characteristics. The core functionality of Schottky barrier diodes is their capacity to allow current to flow in only one direction due to their distinctive...
01:29Potential Due to a Polarized Object
A neutral atom consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a negatively charged electron cloud. When placed in an external electric field, the external electric force pulls the electrons and nucleus apart, opposite to the intrinsic attraction between the nucleus and the electrons. The opposing forces balance each other with a slight shift between the center of masses of the nucleus and the electron cloud, resulting in a polarized atom. On the other hand, a few molecules, like water,...
02:16Light Acquisition
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
01:11Dalton's Law of Partial Pressure
The partial pressure of a gas is a measure of the thermodynamic activity of the gas's molecules. The pressure that a gas would create if it occupied the total volume available is called the gas's partial pressure. If two or more gases are mixed together in a container, the molecules move randomly and collide with each other, causing them to reach thermal equilibrium. When the gases have the same temperature, their molecules have the same average kinetic energy. Thus, each gas obeys the ideal...