A multiparametric and high-throughput assay to quantify the influence of target size on phagocytosis (Biophysical Journal)

Phagocytosis by macrophages represents a fundamental process essential for both immunity and tissue homeostasis. It consists in the uptake of pathogenic or cellular targets larger than 0.5?m. For the biggest particles, the phagocytic process involves a massive reorganization of membrane and actin cytoskeleton as well as an important intracellular deformation, all in a matter of minutes. The study of the role of the size of objects in their phagocytosis has lead to contradictory results in the last decades.