{"id":153,"date":"2011-09-13T18:37:19","date_gmt":"2011-09-13T18:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/2011\/09\/natural-killer-cells-caught-on-film-while-attacking-disease.html"},"modified":"2011-09-13T18:37:19","modified_gmt":"2011-09-13T18:37:19","slug":"natural_killer_cells_caught_on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/2011\/09\/natural_killer_cells_caught_on.html","title":{"rendered":"Natural killer cells caught on film while attacking disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most potent players within the immune system is the so-called \u2018natural killer cell\u2019. The \u2018NK\u2019 cell attacks by emptying sacks full of destructive proteins, known as lytic granules, across its membrane into a diseased cell, causing the target to dissolve. And, in research<\/a> published today in PLoS Biology<\/em>, molecular immunologists<\/a> from Imperial College London caught it all on film using specialized microscopy technology.<\/p>\n

In the video below (skip to 1:20), you can watch a natural killer cell assail a target cell. The movie shows the two cells layered on top of one another; their point of contact is indicated by the green-stained ring, composed of clusters of fluorescent receptors on the surface of the natural killer cell. The contact itself activates these receptors, which in turn recruit the red-stained lytic granules to the cell membrane. In the final act, these potent granules fuse with the target cell\u2019s membrane, and empty their contents to kill it. Cue the credits.<\/p>\n