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Nature Medicine 7, 1182 - 1184 (2001)
doi:10.1038/nm1101-1182

How neutrophils recognize bacteria and move toward infection

Staffan Normark1, Birgitta Henriques Normark1 & Mathias Hornef1

  1. Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
    e-mail: staffan.normark@smi.ki.se

The finding that CD38 mediates a sustained calcium signal inside neutrophils, which directs their movement toward lung tissue infected with pneumococcus bacteria suggests a new mechanism by which the immune system prevents the spread of bacterial infection. (pages 1209–1216)

As recently as 1936, pneumonia was the major cause of death in the United States. Today, the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia, which has a mortality rate of about 5%1.

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RESEARCH
Reply to 'Does neutrophil CD38 have a role in Ca++ signaling triggered by beta2 integrin?'
Nature Medicine Letters to Editor (01 Apr 2002)
Cyclic ADP-ribose production by CD38 regulates intracellular calcium release, extracellular calcium influx and chemotaxis in neutrophils and is required for bacterial clearance in vivo
Nature Medicine Article (01 Nov 2001)
Does neutrophil CD38 have a role in Ca++ signaling triggered by beta2 integrin?
Nature Medicine Letters to Editor (01 Apr 2002)