Quantifying the fitness contribution of phagocytosis.

ABSTRACT: Phagocytosis, the ingestion of cells by other cells, is ubiquitous among eukaryotic life. It is required for food uptake in many single-celled species and for the immune response in multicellular species. The origin of phagocytosis and its role in the evolution of endomembranes and the eukaryotic cell remains obscure. Drawing on a wealth of empirical data, we integrate prey capture, engulfment, and internal and external digestion into a mathematical evolutionary model that quantifies the fitness of a primitive phagocytoser relative to a non-phagocytosing ancestor. We reveal the conditions under which a non-phagocytosing predator that digests its prey externally can persist. We also show that the phagocytoser can outperform the ancestor in a broad range of situations, despite the cost assoc

SUBMITTER: Schavemaker PE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12633225 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature