Antibacterial effectors in : specific activity against different bacterial species.

is a phagocytic amoeba continuously eating, killing, and digesting bacteria. Previous studies have detected in cell extracts a bacteriolytic activity effective against bacteria. In this study, we characterized bacteriolytic activities found in cell extracts against five different bacteria (, , , , and ).

Compound K14 inhibits bacterial killing and protease activity in Dictyostelium discoideum phagosomes.

Phagocytic cells of the mammalian innate immune system play a critical role in protecting the body from bacterial infections. The multiple facets of this encounter (chemotaxis, phagocytosis, destruction, evasion and pathogenicity) are largely recapitulated in the phagocytic amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Here we identified a new chemical compound (K14; ZINC19168591) which inhibited intracellular destruction of ingested K.

Extracellular and intracellular destruction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Dictyostelium discoideum phagocytes mobilize different antibacterial mechanisms.

Ingestion and killing of bacteria by phagocytic cells are critical processes to protect the human body from bacterial infections. In addition, some immune cells (neutrophils, NK cells) can release microbicidal molecules in the extracellular medium to eliminate non-ingested microorganism. Molecular mechanisms involved in the resulting intracellular and extracellular killing are still poorly understood.

Sequential action of antibacterial effectors in Dictyostelium discoideum phagosomes.

Mammalian professional phagocytic cells ingest and kill invading microorganisms and prevent the development of bacterial infections. Our understanding of the sequence of events that results in bacterial killing and permeabilization in phagosomes is still largely incomplete. In this study, we used the Dictyostelium discoideum amoeba as a model phagocyte to study the fate of the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae inside phagosomes.

Role of LrrkA in the Control of Phagocytosis and Cell Motility in .

LrrkA is a kinase with leucine-rich repeats. LrrkA stimulates Kil2 and intra-phagosomal killing of ingested bacteria in response to folate. In this study, we show that genetic inactivation of also causes a previously unnoticed phenotype: KO cells exhibit enhanced phagocytosis and cell motility compared to parental cells.