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Updated: Aug 6, 2025

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Measuring the pH, Redox Chemistries, and Degradative Capacity of Macropinosomes using Dual-Fluorophore Ratiometric Microscopy
Published on: August 19, 2021
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Macropinocytosis: mechanisms and regulation
Gilbert Salloum1, Anne R Bresnick2, Jonathan M Backer1,2
1Department of Molecular Pharamacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, U.S.A.
The Biochemical Journal
|March 15, 2023
Summary
Macropinocytosis is a cellular process for nutrient uptake and immune surveillance. This review details the signaling pathways regulating this actin-dependent endocytosis.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Macropinocytosis is an actin-dependent, non-selective endocytic process forming large vesicles (macropinosomes).
- It's crucial for immune surveillance (dendritic cells, macrophages) and nutrient uptake (unicellular organisms, tumor cells).
Approach:
- This review synthesizes current knowledge on macropinocytosis mechanisms.
- It examines the complex signaling networks governing macropinosome formation, internalization, and fate.
Key Points:
- Key regulators include GTPases, lipid and protein kinases/phosphatases, and actin regulatory proteins.
- The process is independent of clathrin-coated vesicles and dynamin.
Conclusions:
- Understanding macropinocytosis signaling is vital for its roles in immunity and disease.
- Further research into these pathways could reveal therapeutic targets.
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