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Chemotaxis

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Summary

Chemotaxis is defined as the ability of living cells to determine the direction of their locomotion along a concentration gradient of attractant and repellant substances. A survey is given of the various in vitro techniques for detecting chemotaxis in leukocytes including monocyte macrophages, polymorphonuclear cells, lymphocytes and bacterial cells. Biological substances such as complement and its components, factors derived from lymphocytes and other proteins which cause chemotaxis are also described. Finally, reference is made to the relationship between chemotaxis and manifestations of disease (e.g. inflammatory response) and defects in the chemotaxis-inducing systems in man in certain diseases (Chediak-Higashi syndrome, lazy leukocyte syndrome, etc.). Possible means of therapy of abnormal chemotaxis in man are still in the discussion stage.

Zusammenfassung

Unter Chemotaxis versteht man die Fähigkeit lebender Zellen, die Richtung ihrer Fortbewegung entlang eines Konzentrationsgradienten anziehender bzw, abstoßender Substanzen zu bestimmen. Es wird eine Übersicht gegeben über die verschiedenen in vitro-Techniken zum Nachweis der Chemotaxis bei Leukozyten einschließlich Monozyten-Makrophagen, polymorphonukleären Zellen, Lymphozyten sowie bei Bakterienzellen. Weiterhin werden die biologischen Substanzen, wie z.B. Komplement und seine Bestandteile, sowie aus Lymphozyten gewonnene Faktoren und andere Proteine, die Chemotaxis erzeugen können, beschrieben. Schließlich wird auf Zusammenhänge zwischen Chemotaxis und Krankheitserscheinungen (z.B. Entzündungsreaktion) sowie auf Defekte in Chemotaxis-erzeugenden Systemen des Menschen bei bestimmten Krankheiten (Chediak-Higashi-Syndrom, Lazy-Leukocyte-Syndrom u.a.) verwiesen. Therapiemöglichkeiten abnormaler Chemotaxis beim Menschen sind noch in der Diskussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. División de Immunologia, Subjefatura de Investigación Cientifica del Centro Médico Nacional, 1. M. S. S., Mexico 73, D. F., Apartado Postal 73-032, Mexico

    R. R. Kretschmer & M. L. Collado

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  1. R. R. Kretschmer
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  2. M. L. Collado
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Kretschmer, R.R., Collado, M.L. Chemotaxis. Infection 8 (Suppl 3), S299–S302 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01639599

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