April 23, 2020
Occurrence of phagocytosis in cells
Mechanism of phagocytosis
Phagocytosis is the process to engulf cells or particles in phagocyte (amoeba, white blood cell ... etc).
- Amoeba - phagocytosis is the feeding action.
- White blood cell - phagocytosis is the body defence action towards foreign antigen.
👆🏻This photo illustrated how cell engulf large molecules through phagocytosis.
Steps of phagocytosis
1. Activation
- When phagocyte get close to target particles, the action of phagocytosis is stimulated.
2. Binding
- Surface receptor binds to the target particle.
3. Ingestion
- Phagocyte expands and surrounds the target particle. Further, the formation of vacuole leads to the complete injection of the target particle.
4. Digestion
- Enzyme e.g. lysosome released to break down the target particle.
Phagocytosis of white blood cell will be discussed in the coming blogs 📖
That's all for this topic 👏🏻
References
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2018, January 3). Phagocytosis. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/phagocytosis
- Phagocytosis - Definition, Steps, Process and Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.microscopemaster.com/phagocytosis.html