Emperipolesis is the presence of an intact cell within the
cytoplasm of another cell. It is derived from
Greek (''en'' is ''inside'', ''peripoleomai'' is ''go round'').
[Emperipolesis. Stedman's Medical Dictionary. 27th Ed.] Emperipolesis is an uncommon biological process, and can be physiological or pathological.
It is related to ''
peripolesis'', which is the attachment of one cell to another.
Emperipolesis is unlike
phagocytosis, in which the engulfed cell is killed by the
lysosomal enzymes
A lysosome () is a membrane-bound organelle found in many animal cells. They are spherical vesicles that contain hydrolytic enzymes that can break down many kinds of biomolecules. A lysosome has a specific composition, of both its membrane prote ...
of the
macrophage
Macrophages (abbreviated as M φ, MΦ or MP) ( el, large eaters, from Greek ''μακρός'' (') = large, ''φαγεῖν'' (') = to eat) are a type of white blood cell of the immune system that engulfs and digests pathogens, such as cancer cel ...
. Instead, the engulfed cell remains viable within the other, and can exit at any time without causing structural or functional abnormalities in either cell.
Classification
Emperipolesis has been classified into two categories:
# Engulfment of
hemapoietic cells by
megakaryocytes such as in hematolymphoid disorders (
Hodgkin's disease
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition wa ...
,
leukemia,
acute
Acute may refer to:
Science and technology
* Acute angle
** Acute triangle
** Acute, a leaf shape in the glossary of leaf morphology
* Acute (medicine), a disease that it is of short duration and of recent onset.
** Acute toxicity, the adverse eff ...
and
chronic myeloid leukemia,
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,
myeloproliferative disorders
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a group of rare blood cancers in which excess red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets are produced in the bone marrow. ''Myelo'' refers to the bone marrow, ''proliferative'' describes the rapid growt ...
,
myelodysplastic syndrome)
# Engulfment of
inflammatory cell
White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...
s by
histiocytes, which is a hallmark of
Rosai-Dorfman disease
Other associations
It is seen in various conditions including:
*
Autoimmune hepatitis
*
Leukocyte
White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...
migration from the blood stream to tissues through
endothelial cell
The endothelium is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the rest of the vessel ...
s, in a process also known as transcellular migration and is akin to
diapedesis (paracellular migration).
Additional images
Image:Emperipolesis - a band neutrophil inside a megakaryocyte.jpg , Emperipolesis: a band neutrophil inside a megakaryocyte (Wright-Giemsa, 100x, oil).
Image:Rosai-dorfman.jpg, Emperipolesis in Rosai-Dorfman disease highlighted by S-100 staining.
Image:Emperipolesis.jpg, Emperipolesis: Megakaryocyte containing a segmented neutrophil
Neutrophils (also known as neutrocytes or heterophils) are the most abundant type of granulocytes and make up 40% to 70% of all white blood cells in humans. They form an essential part of the innate immune system, with their functions varying ...
, stained with a May-Grünwald Giemsa stain.
See also
*
Hemophagocytic syndrome
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), also known as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (British spelling), and hemophagocytic or haemophagocytic syndrome, is an uncommon hematologic disorder seen more often in children than in adults. It is a ...
*
Phagocytosis
*
Symbiogenesis
References
{{reflist
Pathology
Cellular processes