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Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Automated Imaging and Analysis for the Quantification of Fluorescently Labeled Macropinosomes
Published on: August 24, 2021
Macropinocytosis at the crossroad between nutrient scavenging and metabolism in cancer
1School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
Abstract:
Macropinocytosis (MP), the actin-dependent bulk uptake of extracellular fluids, plays a central role in nutrient scavenging, allowing cancer cells to sustain their growth in the hypoxic and nutrient-deprived microenvironment often found in solid tumours. The lack of soluble nutrients and several oncogenic signalling pathways, with RAS being the most studied, push MP-dependent internalisation of extracellular proteins, which are then digested in the lysosomes, replenishing the intracellular nutrient pools. This review will highlight recent advances in understanding how MP is regulated in hypoxic cancers, how it impinges on chemoresistance, and how different MP cargos facilitate tumour growth. Finally, I will highlight the crosstalk between MP and extracellular matrix receptors.
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