Global InformationParacytophagy information
Paracytophagy (from Ancient Greek para 'nearby', kytos 'cell', and phagy 'eating') is the cellular process whereby a cell engulfs a protrusion which extends from a neighboring cell. This protrusion may contain material which is actively transferred between the cells. The process of paracytophagy[1] was first described as a crucial step during cell-to-cell spread of the intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, and is also commonly observed in Shigella flexneri. Paracytophagy allows these intracellular pathogens to spread directly from cell to cell, thus escaping immune detection and destruction. Studies of this process have contributed significantly to our understanding of the role of the actin cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells.
- ^ Robbins JR, Barth AI, Marquis H, de Hostos EL, Nelson WJ, Theriot JA (1999). "Listeria monocytogenes exploits normal host cell processes to spread from cell to cell". J Cell Biol. 146 (6): 1333–50. doi:10.1083/jcb.146.6.1333. PMC 1785326. PMID 10491395.