An international group of scientists revealed how cells capture nutrients from the environment. This is reported in an article published in the Magazine Developmental Cell.
researchers showed that the cell membrane forms a strongly curved structure, which ultimately closes, forming a trap. Such a pocket captures substances from the occasion of the cell, after which it turns into vesicles – tiny bubbles that transport important molecule for the vital activity. However, the same device helps pathogens penetrate the cells and infect it.
Specialists managed to trace the process of the occurrence of pockets using a high-resolution fluorescent visualization. It turned out that protein frames, getting into the field of education vesicles, deform the membranes in places, which contradicts the hypothesians, according to which proteins should be used for this.
The process of occurrence and destruction of Vesikul plays an important role in cleansing blood from cholesterol or in the transmission of neural signals. At the same time, it is disturbed with diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.