Cellular control and mechanisms that mediate selective hydrolase recruitment to the phagosome

吞噬细胞是因其通过吞噬过程吞噬“吃”颗粒物质的能力而命名的细胞。它们在整个身体中发挥着各种各样的重要作用，在第一线保护身体免受入侵微生物的侵害，同时也执行着许多正常生长和维持健康所必需的家务功能。吞噬小体是吞噬后在吞噬细胞内形成的细胞器，负责适当地处理被吞噬的物质。在原始的吞噬细胞中，如变形虫，这种细胞器充当细胞的“胃”，并有效和完全地消化细胞营养的内容物。然而，在高等生物的吞噬细胞中，吞噬体可以被充电来执行许多精确的功能，其中许多功能依赖于对被吞噬物质的控制或部分解构。我们有证据表明，吞噬细胞可以快速适应吞噬体内的酶组成，从而产生最适合手头任务的定制混合物。这种更高层次的控制允许一种细胞类型，如组织巨噬细胞，能够在体内执行许多任务。计划中的研究旨在揭示这种控制的范围以及协调这一过程的细胞内信号。这项基础研究将与结核病和动脉粥样硬化等疾病的研究相关，也可能影响未来疫苗和药物输送技术的设计。

Phagocytes are cells named for their ability to engulf or "eat" particulate material via the process of phagocytosis. They function in a diverse array of essential tasks throughout the body, operating at the frontlines to protect the body against invading microbes and also performing numerous housekeeping functions that are necessary for normal growth and maintenance of health. The phagosome is the organelle that is formed within the phagocyte following phagocytosis and is charged with the task of processing the engulfed material appropriately. In primitive phagocytes, such as the amoeba, this organelle serves as the "stomach" of the cell and acts to efficiently and completely digest its contents for cellular nutrition. In phagocytes of higher order organisms, however, the phagosome can be charged to perform a multitude of precise functions, many of which rely on controlled or partial deconstruction of engulfed material. We have evidence to suggest that phagocytes can quickly adapt the enzymatic composition within the phagosome that creates a custom mixture that best suits the task at hand. This higher order of control allows one cell type, such as the tissue macrophage, to be capable of performing numerous tasks within the body. The planned research aims to uncover the scope of this control and the intracellular signaling that orchestrate this process. This fundamental study will be relevant to the research into diseases such as tuberculosis and atherosclerosis, and may also impact the future design of vaccines and drug delivery technologies.