2025/12/01 by Caitlin E. Cornell, Aymeric Chorlay, Deepak Krishnamurthy +3 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Immunology and Microbiology · Medicine · #Erythrocyte Function and Pathophysiology #Immune cells in cancer #Phagocytosis and Immune Regulation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41556-025-01807-6
openalex publication_date 2025/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/12/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Macrophages are known to engulf small membrane fragments, or trogocytose, target cells and pathogens, rather than fully phagocytose them. However, little is known about what causes macrophages to choose trogocytosis versus phagocytosis. Here we report that cortical tension of target cells is a key regulator of macrophage trogocytosis. At low tension, macrophages will preferentially trogocytose antibody-opsonized cells, while at high tension, they tend towards phagocytosis. Using model vesicles, we demonstrate that macrophages will rapidly switch from trogocytosis to phagocytosis when membrane tension is increased. Stiffening the cortex of target cells also biases macrophages to phagocytose them, a trend that can be countered by increasing antibody surface density and is captured in a mechanical model of trogocytosis. This work suggests that the target cell, rather than the macrophage, determines whether phagocytosis or trogocytosis occurs, and that macrophages do not require a distinct molecular pathway for trogocytosis.