DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
Cell capable of taking up corpuscular material (particles) including pathogenic microorganisms and inactivating or killing them by decomposition.
General informationThis section has been translated automatically.
Cells that have specialized in phagocytosis of pathogenic microorganisms or other foreign parts are called professional phagocytes. To these belong:
Their common feature is that they perform phagocytosis by means of membrane receptors (e.g. for the Fc domains of immunoglobulins) or complement. Furthermore, this is achieved by means of receptors for conserved bacterial wall components such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), glycans or mannose.
Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer