Specialization of the macrophage plasma membrane at sites of interaction with opsonized erythrocytes.

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Abstract
Mouse peritoneal macrophages were incubated for 3-8 min at 37.degree. C with antibody-coated sheep erythrocytes and examined regions of close interaction between the 2 cell types by EM. At sites of focal macrophage-erythrocyte contact a distinctive specialization of the macrophage plasma membrane consisting of a prominent subplasmalemmal band of electron-dense material was observed, .apprx. 25-35 nm in thicknes. In many instances, this band showed a periodic substructure similar to that seen in clathrin coats. Moreover, many slender erythrocyte processes penetrated into invaginations of the macrophage surface which were bristle-coated at their blind extremity. As previously shown for clathrin-coated pits, the segments of the macrophage plasma membrane beneath which the dense material was found were selectively resistant to the membrane-perturbing effect of the antibiotic, filipin. This structural specialization of the macrophage plasma membrane at sites of ligand-receptor interaction during immune phagocytosis of antibody-coated erythrocytes may represent the morphological counterpart of the zipper mechanism of phagocytosis previously demonstrated by functional studies.