Macrophages – the front line of our immune system – protect us from infections. But in the case of the tuberculosis bacteria, this often goes wrong. The group of Annemarie Meijer from the Leiden Institute of Biology has now discovered that macrophages in zebrafish are better able to eliminate tuberculosis bacteria if they lack a certain receptor. The research, published in the journal Cell Reports, may contribute to new treatment strategies for tuberculosis.

Immune cells keep tuberculosis bacteria under control by breaking them down. Leiden biologist Annemarie Meijer and her colleagues discovered which protein triggers this process. This protein (DRAM1) is a potential target for new drugs, they write in Cell Host & Microbe.