Phagocytes play critical roles in the maintenance of organismal homeostasis and immunity. Central to their role is their ability to take up and process exogenous material via the related processes of phagocytosis and macropinocytosis. The mechanisms and functions underlying macropinocytosis have remained severely understudied relative to phagocytosis. In recent years, however, there has been a renaissance in macropinocytosis research. Phagocytes can engage in various forms of macropinocytosis including an "induced" form and a "constitutive" form. This chapter, however, will focus on constitutive macropinocytosis and its role in the maintenance of immunity. Functions previously attributed to macropinocytosis, including antigen presentation and immune surveillance, will be revisited in light of recent revelations and emerging concepts will be highlighted.
Keywords: Antigen presentation; Cross-presentation; Dendritic cell; Endocytosis; Innate immunity; Macrophage; Macropinocytosis; Microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP); Pattern recognition receptor (PRR); Phagocyte; Pinocytosis.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.