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Nature Immunology 9, 716–718 (1 July 2008) | doi:10.1038/ni0708-716

PTEN gives neutrophils direction

Daniel D Billadeau

Neutrophils constitute a first line of defense against invading pathogens and react to tissue injury or infection by adhering to the endothelium in response to chemokine gradients and then extravasating through the microvasculature toward additional chemoattractants produced by macrophages, mast cells or serosal cells. Once in proximity to the infection, neutrophils must 'ignore' the milieu of intermediary chemoattractants (chemokines and leukotrienes) and instead 'prioritize' end-target bacterial chemoattractants such as fMLP (N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenalanine) or the complement component C5a to seek out and eradicate invading pathogens.