White blood cells move like millipedes, scientists show

Monday, May 4, 2009 - 09:07 in Health & Medicine

How do white blood cells - immune system 'soldiers' - get to the site of infection or injury? To do so, they must crawl swiftly along the lining of the blood vessel - gripping it tightly to avoid being swept away in the blood flow - all the while searching for temporary 'road signs' made of special adhesion molecules that let them know where to cross the blood vessel barrier so they can get to the damaged tissue.

Read the whole article on Physorg

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