Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Dermatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Cell Death Dis. 2020 Apr 30;11(4):300. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-2497-x.
Extracellular DNA trap formation is a cellular function of neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils that facilitates the immobilization and killing of invading microorganisms in the extracellular milieu. To form extracellular traps, granulocytes release a scaffold consisting of mitochondrial DNA in association with granule proteins. As we understand more about the molecular mechanism for the formation of extracellular DNA traps, the in vivo function of this phenomenon under pathological conditions remains an enigma. In this article, we critically review the literature to summarize the evidence for extracellular DNA trap formation under in vivo conditions. Extracellular DNA traps have not only been detected in infectious diseases but also in chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as in cancer. While on the one hand, extracellular DNA traps clearly exhibit an important function in host defense, it appears that they can also contribute to the maintenance of inflammation and metastasis, suggesting that they may represent an interesting drug target for such pathological conditions.
细胞外 DNA 陷阱的形成是中性粒细胞、嗜酸性粒细胞和嗜碱性粒细胞的一种细胞功能，有助于在细胞外环境中固定和杀死入侵的微生物。为了形成细胞外陷阱，粒细胞释放出一种由线粒体 DNA 与颗粒蛋白结合而成的支架。随着我们对细胞外 DNA 陷阱形成的分子机制的了解越来越多，这种现象在病理条件下的体内功能仍然是一个谜。在本文中，我们批判性地回顾了文献，以总结体内条件下细胞外 DNA 陷阱形成的证据。细胞外 DNA 陷阱不仅在传染病中被检测到，在慢性炎症性疾病以及癌症中也被检测到。一方面，细胞外 DNA 陷阱显然在宿主防御中具有重要功能，但它们似乎也可以促进炎症和转移的维持，这表明它们可能成为这些病理条件下的一个有趣的药物靶点。
