Prof. Dr. Albrecht Schwab

Mechanisms of neutrophil recruitment

 

Cartoon of cell-cell adhesion measurements using atomic force microscopy (AFM). A neutrophil attached to the cantilever of an AFM is brought in contact with an endothelial cell. Upon retraction of the cantilever adhesive forces between neutrophil and endothelial cell can be determined.
© Schwab

Cell Biology / Molecular Biology
Immunology
Physiology

Neutrophil granulocytes constitute an important component of the innate immune system. They can be rapidly recruited from the blood stream to sites of infection or inflammation. Neutrophil recruitment follows a fine-tuned sequence of events of clearly defined steps. Once neutrophils have crossed the blood vessel wall they reach their target area by means of directed migration (chemotaxis) along gradients of chemoattractants. It is well known that neutrophil recruitment and chemotaxis strongly rely on intracellular calcium signalling. However, the molecular nature of the involved target and effector proteins and their mechanism of action are not yet well defined. Using a combination of high resolution time lapse video microscopy, atomic force microscopy, calcium imaging and molecular biological techniques we want to investigate calcium-dependent molecular mechanisms of neutrophil recruitment and chemotaxis.

 

 

Prof. Dr. Albrecht Schwab
Prof. Dr. Albrecht Schwab
University of Münster
Institut für Physiologie II
Robert-Koch-Str. 27b
48149 Münster
T: +49 (0) 251- 83 - 55329
F: +49 (0) 251- 83 - 55331
aschwab@uni-muenster.de

Vita

  • 1982 - 1988: Medical School, Würzburg
  • 1989 - 1991: Post-Doc, Physiology, Yale University, New Haven, USA
  • 1991 - 2003: Physiology, Würzburg
  • 1995: Habilitation
  • 1997: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
  • Since 2003: Professor of Physiology, University of Münster, Germany

Selected references

Najder K, Musset B, Lindemann O, Bulk E, Schwab A, Fels B. (2018) The function of TRP channels in neutrophil granulocytes. Pflügers Arch 470: 1017-1033

Lindemann O, Strodthoff C, Horstmann M, Heitzmann M, Nielsen N, Jung F, Schimmelpfennig S, Schwab A (2015). TRPC1 regulates fMLP-stimulated migration and chemotaxis of neutrophil granulocytes. BBA - Mol Cell Res 1853: 2122-2130

Lindemann O, Umlauf D, Frank S, Schimmmelpfennig S, Bertrand J, Pap T, Hanley PJ, Fabian A, Dietrich A, Schwab A. (2013) TRPC6 regulates CXCR2-mediated chemotaxis of murine neutrophils. J Immunol 190: 5496-5505

Schwab A, Fabian A, Hanley PJ, Stock C. (2012) Role of ion channels and transporters in cell migration. Physiol Rev 92: 1865–1913

Dieterich P, Klages R, Preuss R, Schwab A. (2008) Anomalous dynamics of cell migration. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105: 459-463
 

Links

Schwab Lab