Receptor-mediated phagocytosis is a complex process that mediates the internalization, by a cell, of other cells and large particles; this is an important physiological event not only in mammals, but in a wide diversity of organisms. Of simple unicellular organisms that use phagocytosis to extract nutrients, to complex metazoans in which phagocytosis is essential for the innate defence system, as a first line of defence against invading pathogens, as well as for the clearance of damaged, dying or dead cells. Evolution has armed multicellular organisms with a range of receptors expressed on many cells that serve as the molecular basis to bring about phagocytosis, regardless of the organism or the specific physiological event concerned. Key to all phagocytic processes is the finely controlled rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, in which Ca2+ signals play a major role. Ca2+ is involved in cytoskeletal changes by affecting the actions of a number of contractile proteins, as well as being a cofactor for the activation of a number of intracellular signalling molecules, which are known to play important roles during the initiation, progression and resolution of the phagocytic process. In mammals, the requirement of Ca2+ for the initial steps in phagocytosis, and the subsequent phagosome maturation, can be quite different depending on the type of cell and on the type of receptor that is driving phagocytosis. In this review we discuss the different receptors that mediate professional and non-professional phagocytosis, and discuss the role of Ca2+ in the different steps of this complex process.
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Review Article|
October 02 2008
Phagocytosis: a repertoire of receptors and Ca2+ as a key second messenger
Alirio J. Melendez;
Alirio J. Melendez
1
*Department of Physiology, YLL School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
†Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, Faculty of Medicine, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, Scotland, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email [email protected]).
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Hwee Kee Tay
Hwee Kee Tay
†Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, Faculty of Medicine, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, Scotland, U.K.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
June 25 2008
Revision Received:
August 05 2008
Accepted:
August 06 2008
Online ISSN: 1573-4935
Print ISSN: 0144-8463
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Biochemical Society
2008
Biosci Rep (2008) 28 (5): 287–298.
Article history
Received:
June 25 2008
Revision Received:
August 05 2008
Accepted:
August 06 2008
Connected Content
A correction has been published:
Phagocytosis: a repertoire of receptors and Ca2+ as a key second messenger
Citation
Alirio J. Melendez, Hwee Kee Tay; Phagocytosis: a repertoire of receptors and Ca2+ as a key second messenger. Biosci Rep 1 October 2008; 28 (5): 287–298. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20080082
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