PlateletsWIKIMEDIA COMMONS, BOBJGALINDO HOMEPAGE IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PAULO HENRIQUE ORLANDI MOURAO
Platelets have always been known for their function in helping blood cells clot. But the cells may also play a crucial role in identifying and shuttling dangerous bacteria to immune cells, according to a study published today (October 30) in Nature Immunology. The findings could one day help researchers develop new ways to mobilize the immune system for vaccines or therapies.
“All the bacteria that we looked at are associated with a platelet,” said Dirk Busch, lead author on the study and a medical microbiologist and immunologist at the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene in Germany. “This was a big, big surprise, because nobody has described this before.” The team also found the specific protein on the platelets that seemed to interact with ...
