Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Leading bugs to the death chamber: A kinder face of cholesterol

A phagosome is shown with bugs trapped inside it by the lipid membrane of the phagosome (green). Dynein motors (red) have assembled into cholesterol rich domains (yellow patches) on the membrane. A team of Dyneins is also pulling the phagosome along a microtubule. The direction of motion (black arrow) is towards a lysosome, where the bugs will be killed. Another phagosome is fusing with a lysosome.
CREDIT: Mukesh Kumar (Artwork) and Autostakkert.com (Bug image)
A phagosome is shown with bugs trapped inside it by the lipid membrane of the phagosome (green). Dynein motors (red) have assembled into cholesterol rich domains (yellow patches) on the membrane. A team of Dyneins is also pulling the phagosome along a microtubule. The direction of motion (black arrow) is towards a lysosome, where the bugs will be killed. Another phagosome is fusing with a lysosome.

CREDIT: Mukesh Kumar (Artwork) and Autostakkert.com (Bug image)

Abstract:
Cells of our immune system kill pathogens by enclosing them in a compartment called the phagosome. The phagosome undergoes programmed maturation, where the pathogen is degraded. Intimately linked to this degradation is active transport of the phagosome inside cells by nanoscale "Motor" proteins such as Dynein and Kinesin, which are force generators for many kinds of biological movements.

Leading bugs to the death chamber: A kinder face of cholesterol

Mumbai, India | Posted on February 8th, 2016

Phagosomes carried by the Motors initially move in a back-and-forth manner near the cell periphery, and mature by fusing with other compartments. As time passes, there is a switch that causes the phagosomes to move in an almost unidirectional manner towards the cell centre. Here, they fuse with acidic lysosomes so that the pathogen can be degraded.

The switch in the phagosome's motion is important for the degradation of pathogens as has been observed in the case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Salmonella who abort this switch as a strategy for survival and infection.

Researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research now show that the "switch" in a phagosome's fate is because of the formation of cholesterol-rich domains called lipid rafts on the phagosome membrane. "We have found the transport of pathogens to lysosomes is achieved by the physical clustering of many nanoscale Dynein motors", says Professor Roop Mallik, the lead scientist of this study.

Dynein motors cluster into these lipid raft domains, and by doing so are able to work cooperatively in large teams. This cholesterol induced assembly of Dynein-teams transports the phagosome towards acidic lysosomes for degradation. The results of this study will be published in the February 11 issue of the journal Cell.

Importantly, they also show that a lipid molecule from the parasite Leishmania donovani that causes Visceral Leishmaniasis (Kala-azar), a deadly disease endemic to many tropical countries including India, is able to disrupt the clustering of Dynein, and therefore prevent the transport of phagosomes towards lysosomes. This may be a mechanism by which Leishmania can spread infection by surviving and multiplying inside the immune cells of our liver and spleen.

Says Professor Mallik, "This discovery may help devise treatment strategies against such dangerous infections. These results are also very relevant to the pathogens that cause Tuberculosis and Typhoid. Our work also shows how the much hated molecule cholesterol, can be useful in clearing infections."

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Roop Mallik

91-222-278-2702

Copyright © Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related Links

RELATED JOURNAL ARTICLE:

Related News Press

News and information

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Two-dimensional bimetallic selenium-containing metal-organic frameworks and their calcinated derivatives as electrocatalysts for overall water splitting March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

Nanomedicine

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Discoveries

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Nanobiotechnology

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project