Acidification of the Phagosome following Ingestion

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During phagosome formation, an electron pump brings protons (H+) into the phagosome. This lowers the pH within the phagosome so that when a lysosome fuses with the phagosome, the pH is correct for the acid hydrolases to effectively break down cellular proteins.

Flash animation illustrating Acidification of the Phagosome following Ingestion.swf by Gary E. Kaiser, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology, The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville Campus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://faculty.ccbcmd.edu/~gkaiser/index.html.

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Last updated: October, 2018
Please send comments and inquiries to Dr. Gary Kaiser