Macropinocytic Cups
Macropinocytic Cups - Related Videos
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This video describes a protocol to isolate the retinal cup without the outer covering layers from the eyeball of a mouse. The extracted retinal tissue can help study various metabolic pathways occurring in the retinal cells.
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Eusociality and Division of Labor - Instructor Prep
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2019
Simulating Eusocial and Solitary Behavior ExpandChoose an open location for the activity to take place, with the center area clear of any items that students may trip over. Set out four 1-gallon buckets and add 5 pounds of rice to each one. Next, add ¼ - ½ cup of dried black beans to the first bucket and mix the beans into the rice. Then, add the same amount of dried pinto beans to the second bucket and mix them in. Then add the same amount again of dried lentils to the third bucket and mix...
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Signaling pathways activate actin polymerization at the plasma membrane, producing the force required for outward membrane protrusion. This coordinated remodeling creates the cup-like structure before closure. The sequence matters because protrusion expands the membrane around extracellular fluid, while subsequent closure determines whether that fluid, soluble molecules, or particulate material becomes enclosed for intracellular processing.
Cup closure converts an open membrane ruffle into an enclosed macropinosome. Until closure occurs, extracellular fluid and associated contents remain connected to the surrounding environment; after closure, they are trapped inside the cell for processing. Distinguishing these stages helps researchers determine whether a change affects membrane protrusion, enclosure, or the handling of internalized material.
The resulting macropinosome can contain large volumes of extracellular fluid, dissolved molecules, and sometimes particulate material. This broad capture capacity gives macropinocytosis a different functional significance from processes focused on narrowly selected cargo. In medicine, the contents taken up through these cups help connect membrane behavior with nutrient acquisition, antigen uptake, and pathogen entry.
Imaging can track the transient appearance of actin-rich membrane ruffles, their outward extension, and the transition to a closed macropinosome. These observations allow investigators to examine the timing and morphology of cup formation rather than relying only on final uptake measurements. Comparing cup behavior with molecular analysis can clarify how signaling and actin polymerization contribute to disease-related uptake.
Cancer cells may use macropinocytosis to acquire nutrients from their surroundings. Studying the cups that initiate this uptake can therefore connect plasma-membrane remodeling with tumor metabolism. Molecular analysis may help identify components of the process that influence nutrient acquisition, while imaging can show how altered cup formation relates to the behavior of cancer cells.
Macropinocytic cups are relevant to antigen uptake by immune cells and to pathogen entry into cells. These contexts give the same membrane process different medical consequences: internalized material may contribute to immune regulation, or entry may support infection. Examining cup formation and the material captured during closure can help clarify mechanisms underlying immune responses and infectious disease.