Splitting Hairs

Sometimes before repairs can begin, damage must be cleared away. Here macrophage cells (highlighted in blue) set to work engulfing and destroying dead sensory hair cells (red) inside a young zebrafish. Tackling the dead cells from all sides, the macrophages – also found in our own immune systems – are called to the scene in a curious way. Researchers find the cells receive a series of three chemical signals – each one triggering separate signalling pathways, using proteins like messengers to alter the behaviour of the cell. Ultimately, they ‘programme’ it to clean up the mess. Zebrafish regenerate their hair cells after injury, yet – for the moment – humans can’t. Studying the sequence of events after injury in the fish, scientists may find ways to mimic the process in our owns cells, improving our chances of healing hair cells essential to our hearing and balance.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video from work by Nicolas Denans and colleagues
• Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, September 2022