As the roughly 30 trillion human red blood cells cruise the bloodstream and supply tissues with oxygen, they may also be doing something biologists did not expect: scanning for signs of infection and injury. DayOfImmunology
As the roughly 30 trillion human red blood cells cruise the bloodstream and supply tissues with oxygen, they may also be doing something biologists did not expect: scanning for signs of infection and injury. According to new findings that would dramatically expand their roles, red blood cells snare suspect DNA from microbial invaders or damaged tissue and warn the immune system of danger.
In principle, red blood cells would make good protectors of the human body—not only because of their numbers, but also because they penetrate the nooks and crannies of organs and tissues. Researchers have found that some vertebrates such as fishes and birds enlist red blood cells for defense—and even sic them on pathogens. But in humans and other mammals, evidence for an immune role remained inconclusive.
Red cells’ sentinel role could also help explain a common complication for hospitalized patients. “Almost all critical care patients are anemic by their third day in the ICU [intensive care unit],” Mangalmurti says. As blood passes through the spleen, immune cells called macrophages ordinarily devour old and damaged red blood cells. Healthy red blood cells can avoid being culled if they display a particular “don’t eat me” protein on their surface.
Drugs that prevent the wayward DNA from adhering to TLR9 on red blood cells could treat the anemia, Mangalmurti proposes. She and her colleagues are also investigating whether DNA stuck to red blood cells could help diagnose infections.
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