Analogous recognition of phospholipids by insect phagocytes and mammalian macrophages

Phagocytic cells from larvae of the moth Heliothis virescens and peritoneal macrophages of mice were observed to preferentially bind negatively charged phospholipid vesicles containing phosphatidylglycerol or phosphatidylserine as compared to neutral or positively charged vesicles. Since phagocytes have retained their primitive function of endocytosis throughout evolution, the recognition of negatively charged phospholipids may be a primitive mechanism for the identification of potential targets by macrophages.