| First Author | Pinto AR | Year | 2012 |
| Journal | PLoS One | Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | e36814 |
| PubMed ID | 22590615 | Mgi Jnum | J:187247 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5435977 | Doi | 10.1371/journal.pone.0036814 |
| Citation | Pinto AR, et al. (2012) An abundant tissue macrophage population in the adult murine heart with a distinct alternatively-activated macrophage profile. PLoS One 7(5):e36814 |
| abstractText | Cardiac tissue macrophages (cTMs) are a previously uncharacterised cell type that we have identified and characterise here as an abundant GFP(+) population within the adult Cx(3)cr1(GFP/+) knock-in mouse heart. They comprise the predominant myeloid cell population in the myocardium, and are found throughout myocardial interstitial spaces interacting directly with capillary endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes. Flow cytometry-based immunophenotyping shows that cTMs exhibit canonical macrophage markers. Gene expression analysis shows that cTMs (CD45(+)CD11b(+)GFP(+)) are distinct from mononuclear CD45(+)CD11b(+)GFP(+) cells sorted from the spleen and brain of adult Cx(3)cr1(GFP/+) mice. Gene expression profiling reveals that cTMs closely resemble alternatively-activated anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, expressing a number of M2 markers, including Mrc1, CD163, and Lyve-1. While cTMs perform normal tissue macrophage homeostatic functions, they also exhibit a distinct phenotype, involving secretion of salutary factors (including IGF-1) and immune modulation. In summary, the characterisation of cTMs at the cellular and molecular level defines a potentially important role for these cells in cardiac homeostasis. |
