Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, UM2 Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille cedex 9; INSERM, Marseille, France; CNRS, Marseille, France; Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin, Berlin, Germany.
Adv Immunol. 2013;120:269-300. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-417028-5.00010-7.
Macrophages not only are prominent effector cells of the immune system that are critical in inflammation and innate immune responses but also fulfill important functions in tissue homeostasis. Transcription factors can define macrophage identity and control their numbers and functions through the induction and maintenance of specific transcriptional programs. Here, we review the mechanisms employed by lineage-specific transcription factors to shape macrophage identity during the development from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. We also present current insight into how specific transcription factors control macrophage numbers, by regulating coordinated proliferation and differentiation of myeloid progenitor cells and self-renewal of mature macrophages. We finally discuss how functional specialization of mature macrophages in response to environmental stimuli can be induced through synergistic activity of lineage- and stimulus-specific transcription factors that plug into preexisting transcriptional programs. Understanding the mechanisms that define macrophage identity, numbers, and functions will provide important insights into the differential properties of macrophage populations under various physiological and pathological conditions.
巨噬细胞不仅是免疫系统中的重要效应细胞，在炎症和先天免疫反应中起着关键作用，而且在组织稳态中也发挥着重要功能。转录因子可以通过诱导和维持特定的转录程序来定义巨噬细胞的特征，并控制其数量和功能。在这里，我们回顾了谱系特异性转录因子在造血干细胞和祖细胞发育过程中塑造巨噬细胞特征的机制。我们还介绍了目前对特定转录因子如何通过调节髓系祖细胞的协调增殖和分化以及成熟巨噬细胞的自我更新来控制巨噬细胞数量的深入了解。我们最后讨论了成熟巨噬细胞如何通过谱系特异性和刺激特异性转录因子的协同作用，插入到预先存在的转录程序中，从而对环境刺激产生功能特化。了解定义巨噬细胞特征、数量和功能的机制将为理解各种生理和病理条件下巨噬细胞群体的不同特性提供重要的见解。
