Necrotic cells (bright red nuclei), are swept to the wound periphery by incoming fat body cells (green) in Drosophila.FRANZ ET AL., DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
Scientists have thought of fat cells as being fixed in place, but live imaging of these cells in Drosophila shows that they can in fact move—and after an injury, they will wiggle over to the wound and help clear it up. In Developmental Cell yesterday (February 26), researchers reveal fat cells cooperating with immune cells to remove cellular material, releasing antimicrobial compounds, and closing up a wound in epithelia.
“It’s like a cleaner, sweeping the stuff to the side,” coauthor Paul Martin of the University of Bristol tells The New York Times. “Then, the immune cells are all hanging out at the edge clearing the debris. So it’s a collaborative effort.”
The discovery began when coauthor Anna Franz of the University of Bristol was watching ...
