Long non-coding RNA emerges as a 'kill switch' for macrophages

Macrophages are considered the "scavenger cells" of the immune system, but some pathogens exploit these very cells as hiding places.

Researchers from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg and Philipps-Universität Marburg have discovered a mechanism that helps immune cells balance their response to infection: a long noncoding ribonucleic acid called SAILR that acts as an apoptosis regulator.

The findings were published in the journal PNAS. ...