23 February 2011

Cellular Adhesion and a little Acute Inflammation

Hey everyone!
I'm a huge fan of visual learning devices, and I find this video particularly helpful. The inflammation part is slight, but if you ever wondered "what the heck are they talking about?" in any kind of cellular/molecular biology class, this is a great tool to clarify some points. They rope you in the beginning showing leukocyte adhesion to the endothelial cell, then they stray away from the point for a few minutes but discuss some interesting concepts regarding the cell. And finally, at the end, they return to the inflammation discussion. They show I-CAM and its role in cell adhesion as well as the extravasation of the leukocyte below the endothelial layer, which is how atherosclerotic plaques are formed. Between this and lots of other diagrams that we've seen, I think we can get a pretty full picture of what's happening. Thanks, Harvard!

http://multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu/anim_innerlife.html

Also, in response to my own question from Monday regarding why I-CAM isn't upregulated in response to inflammatory stimuli: turns out that I-CAM1 is constitutively expressed and is not upregulated, whereas I-CAM2 is upregulated and has a huge role in stroke etiology. Those tricksters!

2 comments:

  1. Caitlin, this video is absolutely amazing. I was blown away by the detail and clarity of the explanations of the cellular components. I particularly enjoyed the image of the vesicle being transported across the ribosome. I also found it interseting to see how proteins and mRNA containing particles are allowed into the cell through pores, then picked up and translated by free ribosomes then delivered to the appropriate destination. This was a great video to post to get an overall view of what is going on inside the cell, and be able to understand why even one little malfunction could be detrimental to the cell and entire system.

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  2. Hey Caitlin,

    Great video. I usually can't imagine the things we talk about and their mechanisms but that video made it clear on how luekocytes get around which was something that I was having trouble picturing.

    I had some questions recarding I-CAM as well.I read this study that stated " The striking upregulation of endothelial ICAM-1 expression, functioning in concert with chemotactic factors, may cause granulocyte infiltration during the first 3 days after stroke. This study may support the usage and timing of antibody infusions to block endothelial adhesion molecules in an attempt to reduce leukocyte-induced damage in stroke" (Lindsberg et al.). So CAM-1 was upregulated up to three days after the stroke in this study. I was curious as to where your information about ICAM 1 and ICAM 2 so I can read the differences in that study to the one I read.

    Also in my article it talked about how inhibiting leukocyte action can salvage nueral tissue after a stroke. While interesting the study itself is rather small on only 11 individuals and it took place in 1996. If your information comes from a newer source I would really like to look at it.

    Lindsberg, P. J., Carp©♭n, O., Paetau, A., Karjalainen-Lindsberg, M. L., & Kaste, M. (January 01, 1996). Endothelial ICAM-1 expression associated with inflammatory cell response in human ischemic stroke. Circulation, 94, 5, 939-45.

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