ArticleBiophysical journal2014
The mechanism of phagocytosis: two stages of engulfment.
Article in Biophysical journal, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Role of Neutrophils on the Ocular Surface.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Pooled it
- Dynamic cellular remodeling and symbiont genetic heterogeneity during early bacterial colonization in the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus septemdierum.Zoological letters · 2026Article
- A biophysical model of phagocytic cup dynamics: The effect of membrane tension.PLoS computational biology · 2026Article
- Macrophage Efferocytosis as a Therapeutic Strategy in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Efferocytosis in tissue engineering: A comprehensive review of emerging therapeutic strategies for enhanced tissue repair and regeneration.Bioactive materials · 2025Review
- Polymeric and Polymer-Functionalized Drug Delivery Vectors: From Molecular Architecture and Elasticity to Cellular Uptake.Polymers · 2025Review
- Clearing the Path: Exploring Apoptotic Cell Clearance in Inflammatory and Autoimmune Disorders for Therapeutic Advancements.Molecular biotechnology · 2025Review
- Targeting Frequent Efferocytosis in Tumor Microenvironment is a New Direction for Cancer Treatment.Small science · 2025Review
- Host Immune Cell Membrane Deformability Governs the Uptake Route of Malaria-Derived Extracellular Vesicles.ACS nano · 2025Article
- Biosilicification-mimicking chiral nanostructures for targeted treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Efferocytosis: The Janus-Faced Gatekeeper of Aging and Tumor Fate.Aging cell · 2025Review
- Deciphering neutrophil dynamics: Enhanced phagocytosis of elastic particles and impact on vascular-targeted carrier performance.Science advances · 2025Article
- Extracellular matrix dysregulation in aging, calcification, and cancer diseases: insights into cellular senescence, inflammation, and novel therapeutic strategies.International journal of biological sciences · 2025Review
- An innovative cellular medicine approach via the utilization of novel nanotechnology-based biomechatronic platforms as a label-free biomarker for early melanoma diagnosis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Spatial Discrimination Limit Analysis of Macrophage Phagocytosis Between Target Antigens and Non-Target Objects Using Microcapillary Manipulation Assay.Micromachines · 2024Article
- Ancestral TALE homeobox protein transcription factor regulates actin dynamics and cellular activities of protozoan parasite Entamoeba invadens.Molecular microbiology · 2024Article
- Particle-based simulations shed light on cytoskeleton-membrane dynamics in phagocytosis.Biophysical journal · 2024Article
- Biaxial Structures of Localized Deformations and Line-like Distortions in Effectively 2D Nematic Films.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Efferocytosis: the resolution of inflammation in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- The intricate interplay between ferroptosis and efferocytosis in cancer: unraveling novel insights and therapeutic opportunities.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Review
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Despite being of vital importance to the immune system, the mechanism by which cells engulf relatively large solid particles during phagocytosis is still poorly understood. From movies of neutrophil phagocytosis of polystyrene beads, we measure the fractional engulfment as a function of time and demonstrate that phagocytosis occurs in two distinct stages. During the first stage, engulfment is relatively slow and progressively slows down as phagocytosis proceeds. However, at approximately half-engulfment, the rate of engulfment increases dramatically, with complete engulfment attained soon afterwards. By studying simple mathematical models of phagocytosis, we suggest that the first stage is due to a passive mechanism, determined by receptor diffusion and capture, whereas the second stage is more actively controlled, perhaps with receptors being driven toward the site of engulfment. We then consider a more advanced model that includes signaling and captures both stages of engulfment. This model predicts that there is an optimum ligand density for quick engulfment. Further, we show how this model explains why nonspherical particles engulf quickest when presented tip-first. Our findings suggest that active regulation may be a later evolutionary innovation, allowing fast and robust engulfment even for large particles.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.