Progress of research in cell-in-cell phenomena

Abstract

The discovery of a nonphagocytotic process of cell-in-cell phenomena can be traced to over a century ago. However, its biological significance remains poorly understood. Three types of cell-in-cell phenomena have been described so far, termed "cannibalism," "emperipolesis," and "entosis." These three kinds of cell-in-cell phenomena, apart from a common feature of one cell internal to another, are distinct both cytologically and biologically. In this review, we discussed them in their morphology, cell recognition, penetration mechanisms, and physiological roles, respectively.