Phagocytosis by the retinal pigment epithelium: New insights into polarized cell mechanics.

Autor: Zihni C; Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology [Bioessays] 2025 Jan; Vol. 47 (1), pp. e2300197. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 11.
DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300197
Abstrakt: The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a specialized epithelium at the back of the eye that carries out a variety of functions essential for visual health. Recent studies have advanced our molecular understanding of one of the major functions of the RPE; phagocytosis of spent photoreceptor outer segments (POS). Notably, a mechanical link, formed between apical integrins bound to extracellular POS and the intracellular actomyosin cytoskeleton, is proposed to drive the internalization of POS. The process may involve a "nibbling" action, as an initial step, to sever outer segment tips. These insights have led us to hypothesize an "integrin adhesome-like" network, atypically assembled at apical membrane RPE-POS contacts. I propose that this hypothetical network orchestrates the complex membrane remodeling events required for particle internalization. Therefore, its analysis and characterization will likely lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control POS phagocytosis.
(© 2024 The Author(s). BioEssays published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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