Nanotubule dendritic

Self-assembly peptide nanotechnology has attracted much attention due to its regular and orderly structure and diverse functions. Most of the existing self-assembly peptides can form aggregates with specific structures only under specific conditions and their assembly time is relatively long. They have good biocompatibility but no immunogenicity. To optimize it, a self-assembly peptide named DRF3 was designed. It contains a hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface, using two N-terminal arginines, leucine, and two c-terminal aspartate and glutamic acid...

Ca2+-driven responses in dendritic cells (DCs) are less well characterized than in lymphocytes. When DCs undergo a sequence of activation/maturation events, typically beginning with exposure to pathogens in the periphery, Ca2+ entry into the cytosol from stores in the endoplasmic reticulum or from outside the cell can occur at various steps and participate in intracellular signaling. However, not all cellular processes identified in these cells are Ca2+ dependent. While immigration of precursor DCs into the peripheral tissues as well as emigration to secondary lymphoid sites following microbial challenge depend on processes that involve Ca2+, other processes such as DC maturation in response to Toll-like receptor agonist stimulation appear not to...

We have examined mechanisms of antigen uptake by dendritic cells (DC). While multiple experimental approaches have been used, live cell imaging has been especially informative, and is reviewed here. DC were shown to bind to and internalize bacteria, but not inert particles, demonstrating an unexpected selectivity that included sensing of secreted bacterial products and subsequent cell activation. This led to the observation that induced calcium fluxes in these cells could be propagated to other cells via thin membrane connections termed tunneling nanotubules that were shown to form an extensive network between cells, and are also present in other cell types...

Intercellular signals can be transmitted through neuronal synapses or through gap junctions, with the latter mediating transmission of calcium fluxes and small molecules between cells. We show here that a third form of communication between cells can be mediated by tunneling nanotubules (TNT). When myeloid-lineage dendritic cells and monocytes are triggered to flux calcium by chemical or mechanical stimulation, the signal can be propagated within seconds to other cells at distances hundreds of microns away via TNT...