UNASSIGNED: Defective clearance of apoptotic cells can result in sustained @entity32 and subsequent autoimmunity. Macrophages, the "professional phagocyte" of the body, are responsible for efficient, non-phlogistic, apoptotic cell clearance. Controlling phagocytosis of apoptotic cells by macrophages is an attractive therapeutic opportunity to ameliorate @entity32 . Using high content imaging, we have developed a system for evaluating the effects of antibody treatment on apoptotic cell uptake in primary @entity1 macrophages by comparing the Phagocytic Index (PI) for each antibody. Herein we demonstrate the feasibility of evaluating a panel of antibodies of unknown specificities obtained by immunization of @entity19 with primary @entity1 macrophages and show that they can be distinguished based on individual PI measurements. In this study ~50% of antibodies obtained enhance phagocytosis of apoptotic cells while approximately 5% of the antibodies in the panel exhibit some inhibition. Though the specificities of the majority of antibodies are unknown, two of the antibodies that improved apoptotic cell uptake recognize recombinant @entity16906 ; a receptor known to function in this capacity in vivo. The agonistic impact of these antibodies on efferocytosis could be demonstrated without addition of either of the @entity16906 ligands, @entity27242 or ProS. These results validate applying the mechanism of this fundamental biological process as a means for identification of modulators that could potentially serve as therapeutics. This strategy for interrogating macrophages to discover molecules regulating apoptotic cell uptake is not limited by access to purified protein thereby increasing the possibility of finding novel apoptotic cell uptake pathways.

Discovering Molecules That Regulate Efferocytosis Using Primary XXXX Macrophages and High Content Imaging.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity32 :: ('MESH:D007249', 'Disease') :: ['inflammation'] @entity19 :: ('10090', 'Species') :: ['mice'] @entity27242 :: ('2621', 'Gene') :: ['Gas6'] @entity16906 :: ('10461', 'Gene') :: ['MerTK']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['Human']
