Regulating white blood cell activity through the novel Universal Receptive System

Abstract

The understanding of the mechanisms that control key features of immune cells in various disease contexts remains limited, and few techniques are available for manipulating immune cells. Thus, discovering novel strategies for regulating immune cells is essential for gaining insight into their roles in health and disease. In this study, we investigated the potential of the recently described Universal Receptive System to regulate human immune cell functions. This was achieved for the first time by specifically targeting newly discovered surface-bound DNA and RNA-based receptors on leukocytes and generating "Leukocyte-Tells." This approach upregulated numerous genes related to immune cell signaling, migration, endocytosis, and phagocytosis pathways. The antimicrobial and anticancer activities of Leukocyte-Tells exceeded the activity of control leukocytes in vitro. In some settings, such as in antibiofilm experiments, the Leukocyte-Tells showed up to 1,000,000-fold higher activities than control leukocytes. Our findings reveal, for the first time, that the Universal Receptive System can orchestrate fundamental properties of immune cells, including enhanced antimicrobial and anti-tumor activities. This novel approach offers a new avenue for understanding the biology and regulation of white blood cells.