Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Eur J Immunol. 2012 Dec;42(12):3136-40. doi: 10.1002/eji.201243061.
Macrophages are becoming increasingly recognized as key cellular players in intestinal immune homeostasis. However, differentiating between macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) is often difficult, and finding a specific phenotypic signature for intestinal macrophage identification has remained elusive. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Tamoutounour et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2012. 42: 3150-3166] identify CD64 as a specific macrophage marker that can be used to discriminate DCs from macrophages in the murine small and large intestine, under both steady-state and inflammatory conditions. The authors also propose a sequential 'monocyte-waterfall' model for intestinal macrophage differentiation, with implications for immune tolerance and inflammation at the gut mucosal interface. This Commentary will discuss the advantages and potential limitations of CD64 as a marker for intestinal macrophages.
巨噬细胞越来越被认为是肠道免疫稳态中的关键细胞。然而，巨噬细胞和树突状细胞（DC）之间的区分往往很困难，并且寻找用于鉴定肠道巨噬细胞的特定表型特征仍然难以捉摸。在本期的《欧洲免疫学杂志》中，Tamoutounour 等人 [Eur. J. Immunol. 2012. 42: 3150-3166] 确定 CD64 是一种特异性巨噬细胞标志物，可用于在稳态和炎症条件下区分小鼠小肠和大肠中的 DC 和巨噬细胞。作者还提出了一个肠道巨噬细胞分化的顺序“单核细胞瀑布”模型，这对肠道黏膜界面的免疫耐受和炎症具有重要意义。本评论将讨论 CD64 作为肠道巨噬细胞标志物的优势和潜在局限性。
