A vivid new image is taking shape in the world of cell biology: Imagine bacteria adhering to the surface of a cell, perhaps at the site of an injury or wound. In response, a white blood cell arrives at the scene. This cell encircles the pathogen with its membrane, forming a tight, constricting ring. With remarkable force, the white blood cell yanks the pathogen off the wound's surface. The white blood cell then engulfs the pathogen in a process called phagocytosis, in which it "eats" the foreign invader to neutralize it.
This dramatic process might sound like something out of a science fiction story.
"But it's precisely what occurs inside our bodies," said Xuefeng Wang, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati's Hoxworth Blood Center.
One key player in this process is integrin, a protein found on the surface of cells that facilitates adhesion, helping them stick to other surfaces. In this scenario, integrin is what the white blood cell actively works against when it pulls the pathogen away from the wound.
Wang's biomedical research lab at Hoxworth focuses on understanding integrin and its role in cell biology. Notably, Hoxworth is the only blood center in the United States that houses an academic research arm, and Wang is one of two research professors on Hoxworth's team.
Thanks to his work, Wang is now the recipient of a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This funding will support his lab's ongoing research into blood platelets and macrophages (a type of white blood cell). He will further investigate how integrin tension — the physical force exerted by this protein — influences cell function. Wang will also delve into how this force affects platelet behavior, particularly in the formation of clots to stop bleeding during injuries.
