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In general, phagocytes aim to destroy pathogens by engulfing them and subjecting them to a battery of toxic chemicals inside a phagolysosome. If a phagocyte fails to engulf its target, these toxic agents can be released into the environment (an action referred to as "frustrated phagocytosis").
The engulfing of a pathogen by a phagocyte. In a multicellular organism's immune system, phagocytosis is a major mechanism used to remove pathogens and cell debris. The ingested material is then digested in the phagosome. Bacteria, dead tissue cells, and small mineral particles are all examples of objects that may be phagocytized.
In their role as a phagocytic immune cell macrophages are responsible for engulfing pathogens to destroy them. Some pathogens subvert this process and instead live inside the macrophage. This provides an environment in which the pathogen is hidden from the immune system and allows it to replicate. [citation needed]
[9] The phagocyte then engulfs the extracellular pathogen or particle, entrapping it within its membrane. Phagocytic Cup Formation: Upon signal recognition, additional receptors are recruited to the site, and the phagocyte's plasma membrane begins to extend around the target, forming a structure called the phagocytic cup.
Phagoptosis occurs when signals on the surface of a (target) cell activate phagocytic receptors on a phagocyte, inducing uptake into a phagosome, where the cell is killed and digested. Phagoptosis (cell death by phagocytosis) is a type of cell death caused by the cell being phagocytosed (i.e. eaten) by another cell, and therefore this form of ...
Macrophages are the most efficient phagocytes and can phagocytose substantial numbers of bacteria or other cells or microbes. [2] The binding of bacterial molecules to receptors on the surface of a macrophage triggers it to engulf and destroy the bacteria through the generation of a "respiratory burst", causing the release of reactive oxygen ...
Phagocytes generally patrol the body searching for pathogens, but can be called to specific locations by cytokines. [29] Once a pathogen has been engulfed by a phagocyte, it becomes trapped in an intracellular vesicle called a phagosome , which subsequently fuses with another vesicle called a lysosome to form a phagolysosome .
Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria.