Phagocytosis or Pinocytosis – Cell Eating or Cell Drinking
Phagocytosis and pinocytosis are types of endocytosis which are compared with cell eating and cell drinking. In this video we will see the difference between these two. So let’s begin 🙂
Phagocytosis or Pinocytosis – Cell Eating or Cell Drinking
Phagocytosis or Pinocytosis – Cell Eating or Cell Drinking
Endocytosis is a method utilized by a cell to uptake material from outside of the cell to inside of the cell. Phagocytosis and pinocytosis are types of endocytosis which are compared with cell eating and cell drinking. In this post we will see the difference between these two. So let’s begin 🙂
Phagocytosis – is intake of solid material from outside of the cell to inside of the cell. Because it takes up the solid material it is compared with cell eating. ‘Phago = to eat’.
Intake mechanism – cell membrane extends to produce pseudopodia which engulf the solid material and releases it inside the cell in a membrane bound vesicle. (Watch the video given in the end of this post for animation on phagocytosis)
Material taken up – bacteria, dead cells.
Cell showing phagocytosis – Immune cells like macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils and thus they are called phagocytes.
Vesicle size – large compared to in pinocytosis because of uptake of large material like bacteria.
Pinocytosis – is intake of liquid droplets or dissolved solutes from outside of cell to inside of the cell. Because it takes up dissolved solutes it is compared with cell drinking. ‘Pino = to drink’.
Intake mechanism – cell membrane fold inwards to form invagination which takes up the dissolved solute and releases it inside the cell in a membrane bound vesicle. (Watch the video given in the end of this post for animation on pinocytosis)
Material taken up – sugar, protein.
Cell showing pinocytosis – liver cells, kidney cells, epithelial cells.
Vesicle size – small compared to in phagocytosis.
I hope this was helpful 🙂
Watch a video on this topic here.