Phagocytosis

Presented By : Hamza Asghar

 What is Phagocytosis?
• Phagocytosis
“cellular process for ingesting and
eliminating
particles larger than 0.5 µm in diameter.”
• It include microorganisms, foreign substances and
apoptotic cells.
 Steps Of Phagocytosis
• Recognition & Attachment
• Engulfment
• Killing & degradation
 Recognition & Attachment

• Leukocytes bind and ingest most microorganisms and dead

cells by specific surface receptors.
• Some of these receptors recognize components of the
microbes and dead cells and other receptors recognize host
proteins, called opsonins, that coat microbes and target
them for phagocytosis (opsonization).
 Recognition & Attachment
• Leukocytes express receptors for opsonins
that facilitate rapid phagocytosis of the
coated microbes.
• These receptors include the Fc receptor for
IgG (called FcγRI), complement receptors 1
and 3 (CR1 and CR3) for complement
fragments, and C1q for the col-lectins.
 Engulfment
• Binding of opsonized particles to these
receptors triggers engulfment and induces
cellular activation that enhances degradation of
ingested microbes.
• In engulfment, pseudopods are extended around
the object, eventually forming a phagocytic
vacuole. The membrane of the vacuole then
fuses with the membrane of a lysosomal
granule, resulting in discharge of the granule’s
contents into the phagolysosome.
 Killing & Degradation
• The main steps in this reaction are the production of microbicidal
substances within lysosomes and fusion of the lysosomes with
phagosomes, thus exposing the ingested particles to the destructive
mechanisms of the leukocytes.
• The most important microbicidal substances are reactive oxygen species
(ROS) and lysosomal enzymes.
• ROS production involve in following
steps:
Oxidative burst or respiratory burst.
Conversion of superoxide into Hydrogen
Peroxide.
(O2 - + 2H+ → H2O2)
Convert H2O2 TO HOCL-ve.
 Thank You!
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