Homeostatic and inflammatory functions of pulmonary GM-CSF

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a cytokine that predominantly acts on myeloid cells. Although decades of research have revealed diverse functions of GM-CSF during inflammation across tissues, it exerts important homeostatic functions, most notably in the lung. Extensive studies have established the essential requirement of GM-CSF for the development and function of alveolar macrophages (AMs), while also uncovering more nuanced effects on additional lung immune cell populations. As these cell types actively participate in pulmonary inflammatory processes, the homeostatic and inflammatory roles of GM-CSF are closely intertwined, positioning GM-CSF as a central regulator of lung immune cell composition and function. In this review, we discuss the multifaceted biology of GM-CSF in pulmonary immunity, ranging from its foundational role in alveolar macrophage biology to its contributions to lung inflammation and pathology.