The macrophage haunted by cell ghosts: a pathogen grows

Abstract

Apoptosis is induced in the course of immune responses to infectious agents. The last step of apoptosis is recognition and ingestion of the dying cells by phagocytes. Here, Marcela F. Lopes and colleagues discuss recent studies and argue that phagocytosis of apoptotic cells plays a previously unrecognized role in regulating the nature of immune responses against pathogens.