Social amoeba cast wide, lethal DNA nets to kill invading bacteria
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 - 13:20
in Biology & Nature
When confronted with invading bacteria, cells within the multicellular slug stage of the social amoeba immediately seek to kill them, casting extracellular traps made of DNA nets studded with antimicrobial granules. The bacteria stick to and die on the nets. The activity is similar to that seen in mammalian immune cells called neutrophils, said an international scientific partnership.