The spider is probably one of the smartest predators in the animal kingdom. Unlike other predators that chase their prey, the spider doesn’t give chase. Instead, it immobilizes the prey using its web. Once the prey is trapped and immobilized, the spider will then make its move and eat it.
But this strategy is not unique to spiders. Our immune cells do it against bacteria, as well. A new study recently published in Science Advances describes this antibacterial mechanism.
"Neutrophils produce the spider webs that immobilize the bacteria, and macrophages are the spiders that engulf and kill the bacteria," said Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation.
In the case of immune cells, this is how the strategy works: first, the neutrophils (the cells that respond first to infection) migrate to the site of infection. There, it self-destructs and releases its DNA and proteins, which generate neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The macrophages will then arrive to deliver the killing blow to the bacteria.
Amazing.
(Image Credit: NIAID)
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