04 May 2013 A New Hope Our body is at war with invading microbes. But like cunning Jedi Knights, it seems our cells have been hiding a secret weapon: lipid droplets (coloured yellow in the fly embryo pictured). Far from being simple fat storage compartments, it seems the lipid droplets behave like warriors, gathering tiny toxic lightsabers called histone proteins on their surface. When scientists engineered flies lacking a protein that sticks histone and lipid droplet together the droplets fell out of shape, resembling the amorphous Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt. Cells of flies lacking the protein, consequently named jabba, are more likely to be killed by several species of bacteria. But in normal cells the droplets can release histones to fight off the bacterial menace. It’s one more way the body strikes back against the dark side. Written by Anthony Lewis — Michael Welte University of Rochester, USA Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY 3.0) Published in eLife 2013; 1:e00003
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04 May 2013

A New Hope

Our body is at war with invading microbes. But like cunning Jedi Knights, it seems our cells have been hiding a secret weapon: lipid droplets (coloured yellow in the fly embryo pictured). Far from being simple fat storage compartments, it seems the lipid droplets behave like warriors, gathering tiny toxic lightsabers called histone proteins on their surface. When scientists engineered flies lacking a protein that sticks histone and lipid droplet together the droplets fell out of shape, resembling the amorphous Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt. Cells of flies lacking the protein, consequently named jabba, are more likely to be killed by several species of bacteria. But in normal cells the droplets can release histones to fight off the bacterial menace. It’s one more way the body strikes back against the dark side.

Written by Anthony Lewis

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Game Changing Spotting a face in the crowd is nothing compared to the recognition skills of the immune system’s antibodies. Their ability to home-in specifically to their target makes them invaluable tools for biomedical research. But how to produce them to order? Published in 1975, the work of Nobel Laureates César Milstein and Georges Köhler (pictured) – born on this day in 1946 – showed how. First mice are immunized with the target – such as a bacterial or human protein – and then the mouse’s antibody-producing B cells are immortalised by fusing them to cancer cells. Each resulting hybrid cell is a non-stop factory churning out monoclonal antibodies. They’ve revolutionised medical research, making it possible to pick out particular microorganisms or cell components among a crowded ocean of proteins. And they’ve enabled doctors to ‘image’ patients’ trouble spots and, when linked to a therapeutic agent, shoot tumours with a ‘magic bullet’. Written by Lindsey Goff — Image copyright unknown
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Game Changing

Spotting a face in the crowd is nothing compared to the recognition skills of the immune system’s antibodies. Their ability to home-in specifically to their target makes them invaluable tools for biomedical research. But how to produce them to order? Published in 1975, the work of Nobel Laureates César Milstein and Georges Köhler (pictured) – born on this day in 1946 – showed how. First mice are immunized with the target – such as a bacterial or human protein – and then the mouse’s antibody-producing B cells are immortalised by fusing them to cancer cells. Each resulting hybrid cell is a non-stop factory churning out monoclonal antibodies. They’ve revolutionised medical research, making it possible to pick out particular microorganisms or cell components among a crowded ocean of proteins. And they’ve enabled doctors to ‘image’ patients’ trouble spots and, when linked to a therapeutic agent, shoot tumours with a ‘magic bullet’.

Written by Lindsey Goff

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  • Image copyright unknown

Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

Neglected Hide-and-Seek Sneaking into our bodies is only the first step for parasites. They must then evade the numerous defence mechanisms that seek to destroy them. But if they can find a safe haven to multiply in, before launching a full-scale attack, they can increase their chances of success. And where better to do this than in the very white blood cells that are hunting them? Normally this strategy would end in certain destruction, but parasites containing Chagas disease possess a protein that disrupts white blood cells’ normal defences. This image shows that normal response, as an alarm molecule (stained green and yellow) moves from the main white blood cell body into the control centre called the nucleus (stained red), where it triggers the immune response. It’s the ability to block this process that allows the parasites to establish the disease, which infects about 10 million people throughout Latin America annually. Written by Jan Piotrowski — Patricia Doyle University of California, San Francisco, USA Image originally published under Creative Commons Attribution License Published in PLOS Pathogens 7(9): e1002139
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Neglected Hide-and-Seek

Sneaking into our bodies is only the first step for parasites. They must then evade the numerous defence mechanisms that seek to destroy them. But if they can find a safe haven to multiply in, before launching a full-scale attack, they can increase their chances of success. And where better to do this than in the very white blood cells that are hunting them? Normally this strategy would end in certain destruction, but parasites containing Chagas disease possess a protein that disrupts white blood cells’ normal defences. This image shows that normal response, as an alarm molecule (stained green and yellow) moves from the main white blood cell body into the control centre called the nucleus (stained red), where it triggers the immune response. It’s the ability to block this process that allows the parasites to establish the disease, which infects about 10 million people throughout Latin America annually.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk