Tissue macrophages: heterogeneity and functions #MMPMID28662662
Gordon S; Plüddemann A
BMC Biol 2017[]; 15 (ä): ä PMID28662662show ga
Macrophages are present in all vertebrate tissues, from mid-gestation throughout life, constituting a widely dispersed organ system. They promote homeostasis by responding to internal and external changes within the body, not only as phagocytes in defence against microbes and in clearance of dead and senescent cells, but also through trophic, regulatory and repair functions. In this review, we describe macrophage phenotypic heterogeneity in different tissue environments, drawing particular attention to organ-specific functions.Electronic supplementary material: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-017-0392-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.