Area of Cell and Developmental Biology, Fundación CNIC, Madrid, Spain.
J Leukoc Biol. 2018 Oct;104(4):743-756. doi: 10.1002/JLB.6MR0118-041R. Epub 2018 Jun 27.
The functions of macrophages in healthy tissues extend beyond their well-established roles as immune sentinels and effectors. Among tissues, cells of the brain and heart possess unique excitatory properties that likely demand special support. Accordingly, existing evidence demonstrates that microglia in the brain has an active role in synaptic organization, control of neuronal excitability, phagocytic removal of debris, and trophic support during brain development. In the heart, recent studies suggest that cardiac macrophages are involved in the regulation of heart homeostasis by phagocytosis, production of trophic, and immune-related factors, and by forming direct contacts with cardiomyocytes to regulate electrical conduction. In this review, we discuss mechanisms associated with the high degree of specialization of resident macrophages in both tissues, their origin and heterogeneity, and their contributions in regulating homeostasis under steady-state and pathological conditions.
巨噬细胞在健康组织中的功能不仅限于其作为免疫哨兵和效应物的既定作用。在不同组织中，大脑和心脏的细胞具有独特的兴奋特性，这可能需要特殊的支持。因此，现有证据表明，大脑中的小胶质细胞在突触组织、神经元兴奋性控制、吞噬清除碎片以及大脑发育中的营养支持方面发挥着积极作用。在心脏中，最近的研究表明，心脏巨噬细胞通过吞噬作用、产生营养和免疫相关因子以及与心肌细胞形成直接接触来调节电传导，参与心脏内稳态的调节。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了与这两种组织中常驻巨噬细胞高度专业化相关的机制，包括它们的起源和异质性，以及它们在稳态和病理条件下调节内稳态的贡献。
