Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, REGA Institute KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Front Immunol. 2018 Sep 7;9:1930. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01930. eCollection 2018.
Macrophages represent a heterogeneous cell population and are known to display a remarkable plasticity. In response to distinct micro-environmental stimuli, e.g., tumor stroma vs. infected tissue, they polarize into different cell subtypes. Originally, two subpopulations were defined: classically activated macrophages or M1, and alternatively activated macrophages or M2. Nowadays, the M1/M2 classification is considered as an oversimplified approach that does not adequately cover the total spectrum of macrophage phenotypes observed . Especially in pathological circumstances, macrophages behave as plastic cells modifying their expression and transcription profile along a continuous spectrum with M1 and M2 phenotypes as extremes. Here, we focus on the effect of chemokines on macrophage differentiation and polarization in physiological and pathological conditions. In particular, we discuss chemokine-induced macrophage polarization in inflammatory diseases, including obesity, cancer, and atherosclerosis.
巨噬细胞是一种异质性细胞群体，其表现出显著的可塑性。在不同的微环境刺激下，例如肿瘤基质与感染组织，它们会极化形成不同的细胞亚型。最初，人们定义了两种亚群：经典激活的巨噬细胞或 M1 型，以及替代激活的巨噬细胞或 M2 型。如今，M1/M2 分类被认为是一种过于简单的方法，不能充分涵盖观察到的巨噬细胞表型的全貌。特别是在病理情况下，巨噬细胞表现为可塑性细胞，沿着 M1 和 M2 表型的连续谱改变其表达和转录谱。在这里，我们重点关注趋化因子对生理和病理条件下巨噬细胞分化和极化的影响。特别是，我们讨论了趋化因子诱导的炎症性疾病中的巨噬细胞极化，包括肥胖、癌症和动脉粥样硬化。
