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Updated: Nov 4, 2025
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Automated Image-Based Quantification of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Using NETQUANT
Published on: November 27, 2019
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Visualization and Quantification of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps
Mancy Tong1, Vikki M Abrahams2
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. mancy.tong@yale.edu.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|May 25, 2021
Summary
Neutrophils release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which are DNA structures with antimicrobial proteins. This chapter details NET formation and an immunofluorescence method for in vitro visualization and quantification.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Neutrophils are key innate immune cells involved in host defense and diseases like cancer metastasis.
- Beyond traditional functions, neutrophils release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), a complex of DNA and antimicrobial proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the current understanding of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation.
- To provide a detailed description of an immunofluorescence method for NET visualization and quantification in vitro.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on NET formation processes.
- Detailed protocol for an immunofluorescence-based approach to detect and quantify NETs in vitro.
Main Results:
- NETs comprise extracellular DNA decorated with proteins like histones and myeloperoxidase.
- NETs are increasingly recognized as a significant mechanism in neutrophil-mediated host defense and function.
Conclusions:
- Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent a critical component of innate immunity.
- The described immunofluorescence method offers a valuable tool for studying NETs in experimental settings.
