Restless cells: Cause of serious genetic disease discovered
Monday, February 23, 2009 - 10:42
in Health & Medicine
White blood cells (leukocytes) are constantly streaming through our vasculature, searching for pathogens - however, in order to trigger an immune response they need to leave the vessels and migrate into the infected tissue. In patients suffering from the hereditary disease LAD III (leukocyte adhesion deficiency) this passage is blocked. The cause of this defect has now been elucidated by collaborations between the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute and the LMU Munich: The protein kindlin-3 is essential to arrest leukocytes on vessel walls of inflamed tissues - if it is lacking, transmigration of leukocytes into tissue is impossible...