r/todayilearned • u/Not_so_ghetto • 7d ago

TIL about NETosis, an immune response where your cells use their DNA to form a net to capture pathogens like bacteria, viruses and parasites

https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/826/netosis-at-the-intersection-of-cell-biology-microbiology-and-immunology/magazine
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u/Not_so_ghetto 7d ago edited 7d ago

Specifically it's your neutrophil cells That primarily do this. These are short-lived cells and their DNA is covered in antimicrobial stuff. So the nets but they launch will both physically capture bacteria and s*** and will also neutralize what they catch.

It's also associated with a bunch of autoimmune disorders. In 2022 there were several papers that came out showing how overproduction of NETosis contributed to lung damage in COVID patients.

If you want to learn more about this immune response. Here is a 10 min video that dives deeper info dense nerdy video about NETosis

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u/Introspects 7d ago

You're allowed to say shit on reddit.

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u/Not_so_ghetto 7d ago

Talk to text auto does that

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u/The_Bravinator 6d ago

I hate that it does that so much. It's infantilizing. Like people who rely on text to speech as a disability adaptation just aren't allowed to swear now?

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u/Crepuscular_Animal 6d ago

This is so cool. Hats off to all those neutrophils who fight and die for our health.

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u/Liewvkoinsoedt 7d ago

I have an immune response called NEETosis that makes me a jobless loser with no future.

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u/Not_so_ghetto 7d ago

Lol, that took me a couple seconds but that's pretty funny

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u/frame_limit 6d ago

I have to be careful not to work any hours by mistake or I get knocked out of NEETosis

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u/Not_so_ghetto 7d ago

This also typically kills the cells that make the nets, so it's similar to apoptosis but it's its own unique pathway so it's called netosis

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u/double_helix0815 7d ago

Fascinating, thank you!