From Nuclear Swelling to Chemoattractant Production During Tissue Damage


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Upon tissue damage, inflammatory signals and chemoattractants drive leukocyte recruitment and initiate host defense mechanisms. These are particularly crucial in injured epithelia to protect against environmental threats and pathogen invasion. Our research has demonstrated the central role of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2)-dependent eicosanoid production in this process. Triggered by nuclear swelling and damage-induced Ca2+ signaling, cPLA2 and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) contribute to the production of inflammatory eicosanoids. To further elucidate chemoattractant dynamics, in a project called „Inflamapping” we have begun developing a suite of GPCR-based fluorescent biosensors to visualize gradients of key chemoattractants, including LTB4, fMLP, and C5a.