The Bell Tolls for Phagosome Maturation

摘要

Immunity to many miciobial infections depends on engulftnent of invading bacteria into intracellular vesicles called phagosomes by specialized phagocytic cells (usually maciophages, dendritic cells, or neutrophils) Tissue remodeling also depends on phagocytosis to remove cells that have been programmed to die in tissues that are differentiating or undergoing repair However, phagocytosis of microbes usually triggers inflammatory responses characteristic of innate immunity, whereas the engulfment and degradation of apop-totic cells generally does not. This pro-inflammatory versus anti-inflammatory outcome is controlled by the distinct receptors and signaling pathways that are engaged by microbes.