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Origins and tissue‐context‐dependent fates of blood monocytes
Author(s) -
Varol Chen,
Yona Simon,
Jung Steffen
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/icb.2008.90
Subject(s) - mononuclear phagocyte system , monocyte , haematopoiesis , immunology , context (archaeology) , phagocyte , biology , bone marrow , macrophage , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , inflammation , microbiology and biotechnology , stem cell , phagocytosis , genetics , in vitro , paleontology
Peripheral blood monocytes play a central role in the mononuclear phagocyte system by providing a critical link between the bone marrow (BM), as major site of adult hematopoiesis, and peripheral, terminally differentiated mononuclear phagocyte populations, as represented macrophages and dendritic cells. Moreover, recent experimental evidence highlights the plasticity of these ephemeral mobile cells and their direct involvement in the establishment and resolution of inflammatory reactions. Here we summarize the recent advance in our understanding of monocyte origins, subset dynamics and monocyte fates. In particular, we will focus on emerging evidence for monocyte recirculation to the BM and discuss its potential implications in health and disease.