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. 2020 Mar 23;21(4):e49799. doi: 10.15252/embr.201949799

Figure 4. Non‐cell autonomous effects of mtDNA .

Figure 4

(A) Upon pathogen encounter, neutrophils can extrude DNA (both nuclear and mitochondrial) that forms an extracellular trap for extracellular microbes. Due to pro‐inflammatory properties, these DNA neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) can also have pathological effects in diseases such as lupus. (B) mtDNA can transfer via exosomes or in intact mitochondria to neighbouring cells, impacting on the metabolism and survival of the recipient cell. Inflammatory responses to mtDNA can also have non‐cell autonomous effects. The cGAS‐induced secondary messenger cGAMP has been shown to transfer via gap junctions eliciting anti‐viral interferon responses in neighbouring cells.