File:Coccidioides-Endospores-and-Spherules-Draw-Strong-Chemotactic-Adhesive-and-Phagocytic-Responses-by-pone.0129522.s001.ogv

English: Pure chemotaxis of human neutrophils to endospores of Coccidioides posadasii . This video combines 3 examples of chemotaxis experiments (in the presence of untreated, autologous serum) in which a neutrophil sensed the presence and location of a C. posadasii endospore from a distance, before making physical contact with the fungus. The cell was held above the chamber bottom at the tip of a micropipette by gentle suction, allowing us to assess its chemotactic behavior without interference from cell-substrate interactions. The experiments demonstrate the aptitude of neutrophils to act as a highly sensitive biosensor of otherwise hard-to-detect, minuscule amounts of chemoattractants, such as the anaphylatoxin C5a. The endospore was eventually handed over to the neutrophil, resulting in firm adhesion and quick phagocytosis. (All 3 videos are sped up about 90 times.)