Brinkmann Volker, Laube Britta, Abu Abed Ulrike, Goosmann Christian, Zychlinsky Arturo
Core Facility Microscopy, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology.
J Vis Exp. 2010 Feb 24(36):1724. doi: 10.3791/1724.
Neutrophil granulocytes are the most abundant group of leukocytes in the peripheral blood. As professional phagocytes, they engulf bacteria and kill them intracellularly when their antimicrobial granules fuse with the phagosome. We found that neutrophils have an additional way of killing microorganisms: upon activation, they release granule proteins and chromatin that together form extracellular fibers that bind pathogens. These novel structures, or Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), degrade virulence factors and kill bacteria, fungi and parasites. The structural backbone of NETs is DNA, and they are quickly degraded in the presence of DNases. Thus, bacteria expressing DNases are more virulent. Using correlative microscopy combining TEM, SEM, immunofluorescence and live cell imaging techniques, we could show that upon stimulation, the nuclei of neutrophils lose their shape and the eu- and heterochromatin homogenize. Later, the nuclear envelope and the granule membranes disintegrate allowing the mixing of NET components. Finally, the NETs are released as the cell membrane breaks. This cell death program (NETosis) is distinct from apoptosis and necrosis and depends on the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species by NADPH oxidase. Neutrophil extracellular traps are abundant at sites of acute inflammation. NETs appear to be a form of innate immune response that bind microorganisms, prevent them from spreading, and ensure a high local concentration of antimicrobial agents to degrade virulence factors and kill pathogens thus allowing neutrophils to fulfill their antimicrobial function even beyond their life span. There is increasing evidence, however, that NETs are also involved in diseases that range from auto-immune syndromes to infertility. We describe methods to isolate Neutrophil Granulocytes from peripheral human blood and stimulate them to form NETs. Also we include protocols to visualize the NETs in light and electron microscopy.
中性粒细胞是外周血中数量最多的白细胞群体。作为专职吞噬细胞,它们吞噬细菌,并在其抗菌颗粒与吞噬体融合时在细胞内将细菌杀死。我们发现中性粒细胞还有另一种杀灭微生物的方式:激活后,它们会释放颗粒蛋白和染色质,这些物质共同形成结合病原体的细胞外纤维。这些新型结构,即中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网(NETs),可降解毒力因子并杀死细菌、真菌和寄生虫。NETs的结构骨架是DNA,在DNA酶存在的情况下它们会迅速降解。因此,表达DNA酶的细菌毒力更强。通过结合透射电子显微镜(TEM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、免疫荧光和活细胞成像技术的相关显微镜检查,我们可以证明,受到刺激后,中性粒细胞的细胞核会失去其形状,常染色质和异染色质均匀化。随后,核膜和颗粒膜解体,使NET成分混合。最后,随着细胞膜破裂,NETs被释放出来。这种细胞死亡程序(NETosis)不同于凋亡和坏死,并且依赖于NADPH氧化酶产生活性氧。中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网在急性炎症部位大量存在。NETs似乎是一种先天性免疫反应形式,它结合微生物,防止它们扩散,并确保抗菌剂在局部高浓度存在,以降解毒力因子并杀死病原体,从而使中性粒细胞即使在其寿命之外也能发挥抗菌功能。然而,越来越多的证据表明,NETs也参与了从自身免疫综合征到不孕症等各种疾病。我们描述了从人外周血中分离中性粒细胞并刺激它们形成NETs的方法。我们还包括在光学显微镜和电子显微镜下观察NETs的实验方案。