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Tissue macrophage heterogeneity: issues and prospects

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Abstract

The vast majority of macrophages in the body are present in tissues outside the circulation, yet their remarkable phenotypic heterogeneity within different anatomical compartments in the steady state and disease remains essentially unexplored. The development of immunocytochemical and fluorescent histological methods has revealed the presence and morphological diversity of macrophages within tissues, especially in the mouse, but functional specialisation in situ is difficult to establish and their mechanistic basis remains unknown, particularly in humans, in spite of the rich material available. In this review, we consider some of the technical issues that hamper investigation, assess the contribution of cell differentiation and modulation to macrophage heterogeneity within tissues and illustrate variation of macrophages and closely related cells in selected organs in mouse and man.

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Acknowledgments

The preparation of the manuscript was undertaken by SG while a fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK

    Siamon Gordon

  2. Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Walton Street, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK

    Annette Plűddemann

  3. Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University, Marais Street, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa

    Siamon Gordon

Authors
  1. Siamon Gordon
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  2. Annette Plűddemann
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Correspondence to Siamon Gordon.

Additional information

This article is a contribution to the special issue on Macrophage Heterogeneity, Subsets and Human Disease - Guest Editor: Siamon Gordon

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Gordon, S., Plűddemann, A. Tissue macrophage heterogeneity: issues and prospects. Semin Immunopathol 35, 533–540 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-013-0386-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00281-013-0386-4

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