How to capture images of cells at work inside our lungs
Discovery provides new insights on how our immune system battles deadly bacteria and viruses like flu and COVID-19

Date:
September 3, 2020
Source:
University of Calgary
Summary:
Scientists have discovered how to capture 'live' images of immune
cells inside the lungs. The group is the first in the world to
find a way to record, in real time, how the immune system battles
bacteria impacting the alveoli, or air sacs, in the lungs of
mice. The discovery has already provided new insights about the
immune systems' cleaners, called alveolar macrophages.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== University of Calgary scientists have discovered how to capture "live"
images of immune cells inside the lungs. The group at the Snyder Institute
for Chronic Diseases at the Cumming School of Medicine is the first in the world to find a way to record, in real time, how the immune system battles bacteria impacting the alveoli, or air sacs, in the lungs of mice. The discovery has already provided new insights about the immune systems'
cleaners, called alveolar macrophages. Once thought to be stationary,
the scientists observed the macrophages at work, crawling over, between
and around the alveolar spaces in search of bacteria and viruses.


==========================================================================
"It makes sense that macrophages would move around, but we could only hypothesise this because we couldn't see them in action. Now we can,"
says Dr.

Paul Kubes, PhD, principal investigator. "There are many more alveoli in
the lungs than macrophages, and these tiny cleaners are very efficient at servicing every air sac." The researchers say the job the macrophages
do is quite simple. Think of a hotel, where there are more rooms than
cleaning staff. The staff use hallways to clean and keep things in
order. Inside the lungs, there is a corridor that provides a space between
the alveoli. The macrophages use this space to move around to destroy any foreign particles including bacteria and viruses impacting the air sacs.

The scientists needed to conquer three major obstacles in order to
capture live images of this immune cell at work. The team needed to
develop a way to capture an image from air to liquid to air again,
they needed to stabilize the lungs long enough to get a clear picture,
and they needed to find a way to identify and mark the macrophages.

"This work is a culmination of years of research by scientists around
the world. We pulled everything together, combining and refining many
imaging techniques," says Arpan Neupane, PhD candidate and first author
on the study.

"Even six years ago, this would not have been possible." The ability
to see macrophages at work has revealed something else: the scientists
watched as the powerful cleaners became paralyzed and stopped doing
their important job.

"We know when someone is battling a serious infection, especially a
respiratory virus like flu or COVID-19, they often develop a secondary infection which can lead to death," says Kubes. "With this new imaging technique, we were able to see what's happening with the macrophages
during this process." It turns out, at a certain point during the battle against infections, the efficient cleaners become paralyzed making it
easier for new infections to take root and flourish.

"The next step in our research is to find out why this is happening so
that we can develop targeted therapies to kick start the macrophages
into action again," says Kubes.

Findings from the study are published in Cell.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Calgary. Original
written by Kelly Johnston. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
*
YouTube:_UCalgary_researchers_discover_how_to_capture_images_of_cells_at
work_inside_our_lungs ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Arpan Sharma Neupane, Michelle Willson, Andrew Krzysztof Chojnacki,
Fernanda Vargas E Silva Castanheira, Christopher Morehouse,
Agostina Carestia, Ashley Elaine Keller, Moritz Peiseler, Antonio
DiGiandomenico, Margaret Mary Kelly, Matthias Amrein, Craig
Jenne, Ajitha Thanabalasuriar, Paul Kubes. Patrolling Alveolar
Macrophages Conceal Bacteria from the Immune System to Maintain
Homeostasis. Cell, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.020 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200903115735.htm

--- up 1 week, 3 days, 6 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)