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Engulfment signals and the phagocytic machinery for apoptotic cell clearance

Seung-Yoon Park1,2, In-San Kim2,3

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.

Experimental & Molecular Medicine
|May 13, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Efficient clearance of apoptotic cells is vital for tissue health. This involves

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Apoptotic cell clearance is crucial for maintaining tissue homeostasis.
  • Cells undergoing apoptosis display 'find-me' and 'eat-me' signals for recognition.
  • Tolerogenic signals are released to prevent immune responses against self-antigens from apoptotic cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in understanding apoptotic cell engulfment.
  • To discuss the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in clearing apoptotic cells.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent research on apoptotic cell clearance.
  • Synthesis of information on engulfment signals, phagocytic machinery, and signal transduction.

Main Results:

  • Apoptotic cells utilize specific signals recognized by phagocytes.
  • Diverse phagocytic machinery mediates the prompt clearance of apoptotic cells.
  • Tolerogenic signals modulate immune responses during apoptotic cell clearance.

Conclusions:

  • Recent advances have significantly improved our understanding of apoptotic cell engulfment.
  • The process involves intricate signaling networks and specialized cellular machinery.
  • Further research continues to elucidate the complex pathways governing this essential biological process.

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