Internalization of surface components during Fc-receptor mediated phagocytosis by macrophages.

Mouse peritoneal resident macrophages efficiently ingest IgG-coated erythrocytes through a phagocytic process mediated by Fc-receptors. During this process surface components of the macrophages, which can be labeled by cationized ferritin and gold-labeled lectins are not interiorized together with the IgG-coated erythrocytes. However, they are internalized through endocytic vesicles and concentrated into vacuoles which are part of the endosomal-lysosomal system. Later on some of these components either are recycled back to the cell surface or are released, due to a process of lysosome-phagosome fusion, into the erythrocyte-containing phagosomes.