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Neutrophil Extracellular Traps: How to Generate and Visualize Them
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Neutrophil Extracellular Traps: How to Generate and Visualize Them

Published on: February 24, 2010

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Neutrophil extracellular traps in fungal infection

Constantin F Urban1, Jeniel E Nett2

  • 1Umeå University, Department of Clinical Microbiology, 90185 Umeå, Sweden; Umeå Centre for Microbial Research & Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine, Sweden.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|March 31, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Neutrophils combat fungal infections by releasing neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Fungi have evolved mechanisms to evade or counteract NETs, impacting the effectiveness of this crucial innate immune defense.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Mycology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Fungal infections pose a growing global health challenge.
  • Neutrophils are key immune cells in combating fungal pathogens.
  • Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) are increasingly recognized for their role in antifungal immunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe NET formation in the context of fungal infections.
  • To summarize the role of NETs in innate immune defense against fungi.
  • To highlight fungal strategies for evading NET-mediated immunity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on neutrophil function and fungal pathogenesis.
  • Analysis of molecular mechanisms of NET formation.
  • Investigation of fungal factors that interfere with NETs.

Main Results:

  • NETs are crucial for controlling various fungal infections (mycoses).
  • Specific factors influence the formation and efficacy of NETs.
  • Fungi employ diverse molecular mechanisms to impair NET formation or function.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding NET formation and fungal countermeasures is vital for developing new antifungal strategies.
  • Targeting NETs or fungal evasion mechanisms could lead to improved diagnostics and therapeutics.
  • Further research into neutrophil-fungal interactions is warranted.
Keywords:
AspergillusCandidaImmunologyNeutrophilNeutrophil extracellular trap (NET)

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