Work

Is macropinocytosis more than just a passive gulp?

Year: 2025

Type: review

Abstract: Macropinocytosis is known as nonselective drinking of the cellular milieu for scavenging of nutrients and uptake of extracellular fluids. It has recently gained attention in cancer research, as targeting the uptake of nutrients or chemotherapeutic particles by tumor cells holds promise for new therapeutic interventions. Macropinocytic cups form from actin-based protrusions that coalesce into cups and collapse into large vesicles containing cargoes and transmembrane receptors, which can then be degraded in lysosomes or recycled back to the plasma membrane. How macropinocytosis is triggered and the various ways that cells utilize cargoes are topics of much interest. Here, we discuss emerging evidence that cargo or membrane receptor uptake in macropinocytosis may in some cases be selective and may substantially alter cell surface receptor trafficking and display.

Source: Current Opinion in Cell Biology

DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102513

Authors: Roberta Palmulli, Laura M. Machesky

Institution: University of Cambridge

Language: English

Topic: Cellular transport and secretion

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,390