Macrophages clean up: efferocytosis and microbial control

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Constance J Martin1, Kristen N Peters2, Samuel M Behar2

  • 1Department of Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States.

Current Opinion in Microbiology
|March 4, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Efferocytosis, the engulfment of apoptotic cells, plays a dual role in immunity. While clearing pathogens like influenza, it can also promote infections, highlighting a need for targeted immunotherapies.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Microbial Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Phagocytic leukocytes, such as macrophages, clear pathogens and apoptotic host cells through efferocytosis.
  • Efferocytosis is recognized for its role in resolving inflammation.
  • Emerging evidence suggests efferocytosis has a complex, context-dependent role in microbial immunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dual role of efferocytosis in microbial immunity.
  • To understand how immune cells process pathogens within apoptotic cells.
  • To identify potential therapeutic targets for combined anti-inflammatory and anti-pathogen strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on efferocytosis and microbial immunity.
  • Analysis of studies involving efferocytosis of influenza, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Leishmania-infected cells.
  • Exploration of the mechanisms by which macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and neutrophils handle engulfed pathogens.

Main Results:

  • Efferocytosis can lead to pathogen destruction (e.g., influenza, M. tuberculosis).
  • Efferocytosis can also promote infection (e.g., Leishmania-infected neutrophils).
  • Immune cells process pathogens differently when they are within apoptotic cells.

Conclusions:

  • Efferocytosis presents a "double-edged sword" in microbial immunity.
  • Understanding these differential outcomes is crucial for developing new treatments.
  • Targeting efferocytosis pathways could offer novel therapeutic approaches for inflammatory and infectious diseases.

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