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Updated: Oct 26, 2025

Production and Characterization of Human Macrophages from Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: April 16, 2020
Embryonic stem cells are devoid of macropinocytosis, a trafficking pathway for activin A in differentiated cells
Nikoleta Kostopoulou1, Sofia Bellou1,2, Eleni Bagli1
1Foundation for Research & Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Department of Biomedical Research, Ioannina, 45110, Greece.
Abstract:
Ligand-receptor complexes formed at the plasma membrane are internalised via various endocytic pathways that influence the ultimate signalling output by regulating the selection of interaction partners by the complex along the trafficking route. We report that, in differentiated cells, activin A-receptor complexes are internalised via clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and macropinocytosis (MP), whereas in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) internalisation occurs via CME. We further show that hESCs are devoid of MP, which becomes functional upon differentiation towards endothelial cells through mesoderm mediators. Our results reveal, for the first time, that MP is an internalisation route for activin A in differentiated cells, and that MP is not active in hESCs and is induced as cells differentiate.
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