Phagosome crystal structures

Cells can ingest foreign particles by a process known as phagocytosis. If large numbers of small particles are introduced in this way, they arrange into crystallites.

Cell-assisted assembly of colloidal crystallite

Spatial confinement drives crystallization of colloidal microspheres inside fibroblast cells. Beyond the curiosity of the phenomenon itself, cell-assisted colloidal assembly is a useful tool to study a variety of biophysical processes.

The cell membrane visibly extends beyond the area filled with particles. Cell-assisted crystallite assembly occurs for polysterene (?) microspheres ranging from 750 nm to 6 µm in diameter.

External links

*http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/cb/Volume/2007/2/cell_structure_made_crystal_clear.asp
*Cell-assisted assembly of colloidal crystallites , Soft matter DOI: 10.1039/B611022n .