H (2011) Phagosome dynamics during phagocytosis by neutrophils

The neutrophil is a key player in immunity, and its activi-ties are essential for the resolution of infections. Neu-trophil-pathogen interactions usually trigger a large ar-senal of antimicrobial measures that leads to the highly efficient killing of pathogens. In neutrophils, the phago-cytic process, including the formation and maturation of the phagosome, is in many respects very different from that in other phagocytes. Although the complex mecha-nisms that coordinate the membrane traffic, oxidative burst, and release of granule contents required for the microbicidal activities of neutrophils are not completely understood, it is evident that they are unique and differ from those in macrophages. Neutrophils exhibit more rapid rates of phagocytosis and higher intensity of oxi-dative respiratory response than do macrophages. The phagosome maturation pathway in macrophages, which is linked to the endocytic pathway, is replaced in neutrophils by the rapid delivery of preformed granules to nonacidic phagosomes. This review describes the plasticity and dynamics of the phagocytic process with a special focus on neutrophil phagosome maturation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 90: 000–000; 2011