Macropinocytosis refers to the internalization of massive fluid and materials from extracellular matrix in eukaryotic cells. In recent years, hijacking macropinocytosis by pathogenic microbes has been brought to the spotlight due to discoveries of macropinosome subversion for intracellular niche establishment of different microbes, which is beyond the perceived role of macropinocytosis as purely an entry route.
In the new micro-review, the Enninga lab depicts the multifaceted functions of macropinocytosis in host-pathogen interactions. We document the various candidate-based imaging approaches and unbiased purification methodologies, including our newly developed robust method to magnetically purify infection-associated macropinosomes (IAMs), for the comprehensive investigation of the molecular identities of macropinosomes. This work also discusses the exciting general perspectives applying the the recent method developments that foster our understanding of the role of macropinosomes in pathogen invasion and in diverse cellular processes.
To read the article: here