Diffusion Barriers, Mechanical Forces, and the Biophysics of Phagocytosis

Phagocytes recognize and eliminate pathogens, alert other tissues of impending threats, and provide a link between innate and adaptive immunity. They also maintain tissue homeostasis, consuming dead cells without causing alarm. The receptor engagement, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal rearrange...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental cell 2016-07, Vol.38 (2), p.135-146
Main Authors: Ostrowski, Philip P., Grinstein, Sergio, Freeman, Spencer A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin Cytoskeleton - metabolism
Animals
Arp2/3
Biophysics
CD44
CD45
Cell Movement
dendritic cells
Diffusion
formin
Humans
macrophages
Muc-1
Phagocytes - cytology
Phagocytes - physiology
Phagocytosis - physiology
Signal Transduction
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Summary:Phagocytes recognize and eliminate pathogens, alert other tissues of impending threats, and provide a link between innate and adaptive immunity. They also maintain tissue homeostasis, consuming dead cells without causing alarm. The receptor engagement, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal rearrangements underlying phagocytosis are paradigmatic of other immune responses and bear similarities to macropinocytosis and cell migration. We discuss how the glycocalyx restricts access to phagocytic receptors, the processes that enable receptor engagement and clustering, and the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton that controls the mobility of membrane proteins and lipids and provides the mechanical force propelling the phagocyte membrane toward and around the phagocytic prey. Taking a biophysical and mechanical perspective, Ostrowski et al. discuss how the phagocyte's glycocalyx (the pericellular coat that surrounds most animal cells) affects the interaction between phagocyte and target, as well as the processes that enable engagement and activation of phagocytic receptors, propelling the phagocytic membrane around the phagocytic prey.
ISSN:1534-5807
1878-1551
DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2016.06.023