ArticlePLoS pathogens2015
DNA is an antimicrobial component of neutrophil extracellular traps.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 133 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
133 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 240 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neutrophil extracellular traps correlate with severity and prognosis in patients with ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta neurologica Belgica · 2024Pooled it
- Diverse Roles of NETosis in the Pathogenesis of Lupus.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Pooled it
- Differential antibacterial control by neutrophil subsets.Blood advances · 2018Trial
- Bilirubin reduces mortality in sepsis models by inhibiting NOX2-mediated formation of neutrophil extracellular traps.Redox report : communications in free radical research · 2026Article
- Unravelling the noncanonical extracellular DNA structures in biofilm and NETosis.Nucleic acids research · 2026Review
- Tumor-derived neutrophil extracellular trap-associated DNA impairs treatment efficacy in breast cancer via CCDC25-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Article
- Impact of dipeptidyl peptidase I and neutrophil serine proteases on neutrophil functional responses.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- A feedback loop sustaining neutrophil extracellular trap formation involves S100 proteins, histones, TLR2 and RAGE, and is restrained by albumin.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Targeting neutrophil extracellular traps in bacterial infections: mechanistic insights and translational perspectives.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Targeting IL-1β: a potential strategy for alleviating the immunopathology of aortic aneurysms.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Wound Healing of Diabetes: Mechanisms, Inducers, and Therapeutic Implications.Mediators of inflammation · 2026Review
- Immune evasion byAIMS microbiology · 2026Article
- eDNA-Amyloid Synergistic Interactions in Bacterial Biofilms: A Hidden Driver of Antimicrobial Resistance.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Beyond the matrix: rethinking antibiotic tolerance in CF biofilms using 3D models.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2025Article
- NETosis-specific cell death: a novel mechanism in the pathogenesis of gouty arthritis.European journal of medical research · 2025Review
- Exploring the involvement of serine proteases in neutrophil extracellular traps: a review of mechanisms and implications.Cell death & disease · 2025Review
- Tandem ssDNA in neutrophil extracellular traps binds thrombin and regulates immunothrombosis.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Exploring the Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Potential of Gecko-Derived Cathelicidin Gj-CATH5.Biomolecules · 2025Article
- Mechanisms and immune crosstalk of neutrophil extracellular traps in response to infection.mBio · 2025Review
- Staphylococcus aureus thermonuclease NucA is a key virulence factor in septic arthritis.Communications biology · 2025Article
73 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) comprise an ejected lattice of chromatin enmeshed with granular and nuclear proteins that are capable of capturing and killing microbial invaders. Although widely employed to combat infection, the antimicrobial mechanism of NETs remains enigmatic. Efforts to elucidate the bactericidal component of NETs have focused on the role of NET-bound proteins including histones, calprotectin and cathepsin G protease; however, exogenous and microbial derived deoxyribonuclease (DNase) remains the most potent inhibitor of NET function. DNA possesses a rapid bactericidal activity due to its ability to sequester surface bound cations, disrupt membrane integrity and lyse bacterial cells. Here we demonstrate that direct contact and the phosphodiester backbone are required for the cation chelating, antimicrobial property of DNA. By treating NETs with excess cations or phosphatase enzyme, the antimicrobial activity of NETs is neutralized, but NET structure, including the localization and function of NET-bound proteins, is maintained. Using intravital microscopy, we visualized NET-like structures in the skin of a mouse during infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Relative to other bacteria, P. aeruginosa is a weak inducer of NETosis and is more resistant to NETs. During NET exposure, we demonstrate that P. aeruginosa responds by inducing the expression of surface modifications to defend against DNA-induced membrane destabilization and NET-mediated killing. Further, we show induction of this bacterial response to NETs is largely due to the bacterial detection of DNA. Therefore, we conclude that the DNA backbone contributes both to the antibacterial nature of NETs and as a signal perceived by microbes to elicit host-resistance strategies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.