CRC TRR 332 - B06: Metabolic and cytoskeletal control of neutrophil swarming and cluster formation

Basic data for this project

Description

Neutrophil swarming and cluster formation are essential for containing tissue lesions during inflammation and infections. Many individual neutrophils concentrate their combined effector functions around damaged tissue. Swarming results from a coordinated sequence of cellular responses. We revealed glycogenolysis as a metabolic pathway for the release of the swarming mediator leukotriene B4 (LTB4). Thus, the sequential steps of the swarming cascade appear to be under differential metabolic control. Based on this hypothesis, we visualise glycogen deposits in neutrophils to assess metabolic states and investigate the mechanistic interplay between glycogen regulation and LTB4 synthesis. Additionally, we establish setups for the study of cytoskeletal and metabolic adaptation processes in three-dimensional neutrophil clusters. Finally, we determine the influence of cell crowding on the neutrophil phenotype. Our future findings should prove useful for modulating neutrophil swarming and clustering responses on the metabolic level.