A scanning electron microscopic study of phagocytosis

• Published in: Experimental cell research Vol. 64; no. 1; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Goodall, R.J., Thompson, J.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 1971
• Subjects: Amoeba - metabolism; Animals; Cell Membrane - metabolism; Culture Media
• ISSN: 0014-4827; 1090-2422
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-4827(71)90185-6

Phagocytosis of latex beads by Acanthamoeba castellanii was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The detailed panoramic views of the cell surface provided by this technique have confirmed the formation of food cups designed to mediate ingestion and have also provided evidence for temporal changes in surface morphology that relate to the accumulation of internalized beads. In particular, the filopodia withdraw and convolutions in the plasma membrane characteristic of cells prior to the initiation of phagocytosis become less distinct. Ultimately the cells re-assume their pre-phagocytotic morphology. The observations suggest that there is surplus plasma membrane some of which is expended during phagocytosis, and that membrane replacement could, therefore, occur after rather than during the most active period of ingestion.