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Minireview | Spotlight

I’m Infected, Eat Me! Innate Immunity Mediated by Live, Infected Cells Signaling To Be Phagocytosed

Tim Birkle, G. C. Brown
Karen M. Ottemann, Editor
Tim Birkle
aDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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G. C. Brown
aDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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  • ORCID record for G. C. Brown
Karen M. Ottemann
University of California, Santa Cruz
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DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00476-20
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ABSTRACT

Innate immunity against pathogens is known to be mediated by barriers to pathogen invasion, activation of complement, recruitment of immune cells, immune cell phagocytosis of pathogens, death of infected cells, and activation of the adaptive immunity via antigen presentation. Here, we propose and review evidence for a novel mode of innate immunity whereby live, infected host cells induce phagocytes to phagocytose the infected cell, thereby potentially reducing infection. We discuss evidence that host cells, infected by virus, bacteria, or other intracellular pathogens (i) release nucleotides and chemokines as find-me signals, (ii) expose on their surface phosphatidylserine and calreticulin as eat-me signals, (iii) release and bind opsonins to induce phagocytosis, and (iv) downregulate don’t-eat-me signals CD47, major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC1), and sialic acid. As long as the pathogens of the host cell are destroyed within the phagocyte, then infection can be curtailed; if antigens from the pathogens are cross-presented by the phagocyte, then an adaptive response would also be induced. Phagocytosis of live infected cells may thereby mediate innate immunity.

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I’m Infected, Eat Me! Innate Immunity Mediated by Live, Infected Cells Signaling To Be Phagocytosed
Tim Birkle, G. C. Brown
Infection and Immunity Apr 2021, 89 (5) e00476-20; DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00476-20

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I’m Infected, Eat Me! Innate Immunity Mediated by Live, Infected Cells Signaling To Be Phagocytosed
Tim Birkle, G. C. Brown
Infection and Immunity Apr 2021, 89 (5) e00476-20; DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00476-20
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  • Top
  • Article
    • ABSTRACT
    • INTRODUCTION
    • PATHOGEN DETECTION
    • HOST CELL DEATH INDUCED BY INFECTION
    • PHAGOCYTOSIS OF LIVE CELLS
    • FIND-ME SIGNALS
    • EAT-ME SIGNALS: PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE AND CALRETICULIN
    • DON’T-EAT-ME SIGNALS: CD47, SIALIC ACID, AND MHC-I
    • OPSONINS: MFG-E8, GAL-3, ANTIBODIES, AND COMPLEMENT
    • ANTIGEN PRESENTATION
    • RESISTANCE BY PATHOGENS
    • CONCLUSION
    • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    • REFERENCES
    • Author Bios
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

KEYWORDS

phagocytosis
phagoptosis
infection
immunity
virus
intracellular bacteria

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