UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

A Worldwide Competition to Compare the Speed and Chemotactic Accuracy of Neutrophil-Like Cells

Skoge, M; Wong, E; Hamza, B; Bae, A; Martel, J; Kataria, R; Keizer-Gunnink, I; ... Irimia, D; + view all (2016) A Worldwide Competition to Compare the Speed and Chemotactic Accuracy of Neutrophil-Like Cells. PLoS ONE , 11 (6) , Article e0154491. 10.1371/journal.pone.0154491. Green open access

[thumbnail of Charras_journal.pone.0154491.PDF]
Preview
Text
Charras_journal.pone.0154491.PDF - Published Version

Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Chemotaxis is the ability to migrate towards the source of chemical gradients. It underlies the ability of neutrophils and other immune cells to hone in on their targets and defend against invading pathogens. Given the importance of neutrophil migration to health and disease, it is crucial to understand the basic mechanisms controlling chemotaxis so that strategies can be developed to modulate cell migration in clinical settings. Because of the complexity of human genetics, Dictyostelium and HL60 cells have long served as models system for studying chemotaxis. Since many of our current insights into chemotaxis have been gained from these two model systems, we decided to compare them side by side in a set of winner-take-all races, the Dicty World Races. These worldwide competitions challenge researchers to genetically engineer and pharmacologically enhance the model systems to compete in microfluidic racecourses. These races bring together technological innovations in genetic engineering and precision measurement of cell motility. Fourteen teams participated in the inaugural Dicty World Race 2014 and contributed cell lines, which they tuned for enhanced speed and chemotactic accuracy. The race enabled large-scale analyses of chemotaxis in complex environments and revealed an intriguing balance of speed and accuracy of the model cell lines. The successes of the first race validated the concept of using fun-spirited competition to gain insights into the complex mechanisms controlling chemotaxis, while the challenges of the first race will guide further technological development and planning of future events.

Type: Article
Title: A Worldwide Competition to Compare the Speed and Chemotactic Accuracy of Neutrophil-Like Cells
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154491
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154491
Language: English
Additional information: © 2016 Skoge et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Keywords: Science & Technology, Multidisciplinary Sciences, Science & Technology - Other Topics, DICTYOSTELIUM-DISCOIDEUM, LEUKOCYTE MIGRATION, EUKARYOTIC CHEMOTAXIS, HL-60 CELLS, CYCLIC-AMP, G-PROTEINS, CHEMOATTRACTANT, RECEPTORS, PHOSPHORYLATION, PHAGOCYTOSIS
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > London Centre for Nanotechnology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1501266
Downloads since deposit
55Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item