NETs
Perspective | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Balance of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation and Nuclease Degradation: an Unknown Role of Bacterial Coinfections in COVID-19 Patients?Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is leading to public health crises worldwide. An understanding of the pathogenesis and the development of treatment strategies is of high interest. Recently, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been identified as a potential driver of severe SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans. NETs are extracellular DNA fibers released by neutrophils after contact with various stimuli and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA DNase from a Fungal Phytopathogen Is a Virulence Factor Likely Deployed as Counter Defense against Host-Secreted Extracellular DNAWe document that the absence of a single gene encoding a DNase in a fungal plant pathogen results in significantly reduced virulence to a plant host. We compared a wild-type strain of the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus and an isogenic mutant lacking a candidate secreted DNase-encoding gene and demonstrated that the mutant is reduced in virulence on leaves...