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Neutrophils are a type of innate immune cell that contains distinctive cytoplasmic granules and a nucleus that is divided into three segments. They are the most abundant immune cell type in the blood. Neutrophils are rapidly recruited to infected tissues and can engulf bacteria directly or produce toxic antimicrobial mediators.
Maturation of innate immune cells is a graded stereotypic process which is often conserved across species. Here authors label distinct neutrophil leukocyte developmental stages via generating combinations of transgenic zebrafish reporter strains, followed by transcriptome analysis of different neutrophil maturation stages and comparison to the gene expression profile of developing neutrophils from humans and mice.
Neutrophils play critical roles in response to infection, and the limit of available neutrophils in neonates and young infants can impact responses to infections, including sepsis. Here the authors identify that the IL-10/DEL-1 axis is involved in emergency granulopoiesis in neonates and suggest a link to sepsis survival in early life.
Apoptotic and lytic cell death pathways are both utilised in the removal of damaged cells; however, the downstream inflammatory outcomes widely vary according to the chosen pathway. Here authors show that in mice with genetic deletion of Gasdermin E specifically in neutrophils, these cells undergo apoptosis rather than pyroptotic cell death upon senescence, with consequential attenuation of reactive inflammatory responses.
Investigation of neutrophil heterogeneity in tumours reveals the irreversible programming of long-lived, pro-angiogenic neutrophils that drive tumour progression.
A study published in Immunity shows that the mechanical force experienced by neutrophils migrating across endothelial barriers arms them for better bactericidal activity.