FIGURE 8.

Proposed model for non-opsonic phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria by the pattern recognition receptor Eater. Left, Eater ligands on the cell walls of naive (live) Gram-negative bacteria are masked. Right, cationic AMPs destabilize the bacterial outer membrane, disrupt the cell envelope, and lead to exposure of Eater ligands, which renders the bacteria accessible for Eater binding and non-opsonic phagocytosis. Note that bacteria are not drawn to scale here and are larger in reality. PM, plasma membrane.