Loss of the scavenger receptor MARCO results in uncontrolled vomocytosis of fungi from macrophages

Chinaemerem U. Onyishi*, Yusun Jeon, Gyorgy Fejer, Subhankar Mukhopadhyay, Siamon Gordon, Robin C. May*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Vomocytosis, also known as nonlytic exocytosis, is a process whereby fully phagocytosed microbes are expelled from phagocytes without discernible damage to either the phagocyte or microbe. Although this phenomenon was first described in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans in 2006, to date, mechanistic studies have been hampered by an inability to reliably stimulate or inhibit vomocytosis. Here we present the fortuitous discovery that macrophages lacking the scavenger receptor MAcrophage Receptor with COllagenous domain (MARCO), exhibit near-total vomocytosis of internalised cryptococci within a few hours of infection. Marco−/− macrophages also showed elevated vomocytosis of a yeast-locked C. albicans strain, suggesting this to be a broadly relevant observation. We go on to show that MARCO's role in modulating vomocytosis is independent of its role as a phagocytic receptor, suggesting that this protein may play an important and hitherto unrecognised role in modulating macrophage behaviour.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2350771
JournalEuropean Journal of Immunology
Volume54
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

Keywords

  • Cryptococcus
  • Fungal pathogen
  • Innate immunity
  • Macrophage
  • MARCO
  • Vomocytosis

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