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Updated: Jul 23, 2026

"Phagosome Closure Assay" to Visualize Phagosome Formation in Three Dimensions Using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescent Microscopy (TIRFM)
Published on: August 26, 2016
Actin dynamics during phagocytosis
F Castellano1, P Chavrier, E Caron
1Laboratoire de la Dynamique de la Membrane et du Cytosquelette, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR144, Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75241 Paris Cedex 5, France.
Abstract:
Bacteria, apoptotic cells and other particulate material are taken up through phagocytosis, a conserved cellular function driven by actin polymerization. As reviewed here, small GTPases of the Rho family, their activators and effectors control the local reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton underneath bound particles. Remarkably, the molecular actors and regulatory mechanisms involved during phagocytosis through the FcR or the CR3 receptors are very similar to those underlying the cytoskeletal rearrangements that take place at the leading edge of motile cell and at adhesion sites, respectively.
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