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Lipid body-phagosome interaction in macrophages during infectious diseases: host defense or pathogen survival

Rossana C N Melo1, Ann M Dvorak

  • 1Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. rossana.melo@ufjf.edu.br

Plos Pathogens
|July 14, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Immune cells engulf pathogens using phagosomes, a process linked to lipid body formation. This review explores how lipid bodies interact with phagosomes during infections, impacting pathogen survival.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Phagocytosis by macrophages and neutrophils is crucial for innate immunity, involving pathogen engulfment into phagosomes.
  • Pathogen phagocytosis and phagosome maturation are paralleled by the formation of lipid bodies (LBs), organelles rich in lipids.
  • LB accumulation occurs in immune cells during various infections and they store inflammatory mediators, acting as inflammation markers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of lipid body-phagosome interactions in immune cells, particularly macrophages.
  • To discuss the functional significance of LB-phagosome interactions during infectious diseases.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review summarizing experimental and clinical findings on LB-phagosome interactions.
  • Emphasis on studies involving immune cells like macrophages responding to diverse pathogens (bacteria, parasites, viruses).

Main Results:

  • Infections trigger LB accumulation in immune cells.
  • Interactions between LBs and pathogen-containing phagosomes are increasingly recognized.
  • These interactions may influence pathogen survival within host cells.

Conclusions:

  • The interaction between lipid bodies and phagosomes is a significant event during infections.
  • Understanding this interaction is key to deciphering host-pathogen dynamics and developing therapeutic strategies.

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