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Matching cellular dimensions with molecular sizes

Nature Immunology volume 14, pages 765–767 (2013)Cite this article

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An Erratum to this article was published on 21 January 2014

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Abstract

This Commentary discusses the spatial perception of receptors and their nanoscale organization at the surface of the lymphocyte membrane.

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Figure 1: Size comparison of a textbook model of a B cell, an antibody molecule and the human body.
Figure 2: Aerial view of Central Park in New York City (from http://www.alamy.com) and its correspondence to the size of the surface of a B cell.
Figure 3: Comparison of a membrane-bound antibody in one diffraction-limited spot and a person on the infield of a baseball field.

Change history

  • 22 August 2013

    In the version of this article originally posted online, the units in the text referring to Figure 1a were incorrect. The correct unit is "μm" and the correct text is "the receptor depicted would measure about 3 μm, compared with a resting B lymphocyte, with an average diameter of about 7 μm." The error has been corrected in this file as of 22 August 2013.

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Acknowledgements

I thank my colleagues for support; P. Nielsen and L. Leclercq for critical reading of the manuscript; and J. Yang for the calculations and figures. Supported by the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments (EXC 294) and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB746).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Germany; the Department of Molecular Immunology, Michael Reth is with the BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Faculty of Biology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; and Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany.,

    Michael Reth

  2. the Department of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany, the Department of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany,

    Michael Reth

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Correspondence to Michael Reth.

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Reth, M. Matching cellular dimensions with molecular sizes. Nat Immunol 14, 765–767 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.2621

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