Grant: Project Grant

Macrophages are cells that are part of the innate immune system. These cells are specialized to perform a process called phagocytosis, whereby dying cells are engulfed and digested by the macrophage. Macrophages also clear the body of pathogens by binding specifically to them and internalizing and destroying them in an intracellular compartment. The uptake of pathogens is accelerated by opsonic receptors on macrophages that recognize antibody and complement immune mediators that specifically bind to pathogens. Here we will study how the two major opsonic receptors direct the fate of the internalized target and have evidence that complement-coated particles are physically manipulated inside the macrophage. Interestingly, uptake of these complement targets induces proinflammatory molecules in macrophages which challenges previous findings in the field. We are cell biologists and are thus keenly interesting in elucidating the mechanisms behind these novel host cell strategies involved in innate immunity.