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Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization into an M2-Like Phenotype using a Human Monocyte-Like THP-1 Leukemia Cell Line
Published on: August 2, 2021
Diminished Pro-Inflammatory Characteristics in Murine Bone Marrow Derived Macrophages with Impaired Thyroid Hormone
Esmée Hoen1, Kim Falize1, Aldo Jongejan2
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Endocrine Laboratory, Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology & Metabolism (AGEM), Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Background:
Macrophages are versatile phagocytes of the innate immune system with functions ranging from pro-inflammatory to immunomodulatory. Macrophages are receptive to signals from thyroid hormones (THs). Here, we studied the role of the TH receptor (TR)α1 in macrophage function.
Methods:
Using wild type (WT) and transgenic mice with a mutation in the T3 binding domain of the TRα1 (TRα1PV), we generated bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) and subsequently polarized them into pro-inflammatory or immunomodulatory phenotypes. The phenotype and function of the unpolarized, pro-inflammatory and immunomodulatory TRα1PV BMDMs was compared with the respective WT BMDMs.
Results:
RNA sequencing revealed different expression profiles and alterations of biological pathways, including immune functions in all TRα1PV BMDM phenotypes. The pro-inflammatory TRα1PV BMDMs exhibited decreased marker expression associated with this phenotype, while marker expression of unpolarized and immunomodulatory TRα1PV BMDMs was unaltered. Glycolysis, a characteristic of pro-inflammatory macrophages, was reduced in all three TRα1PV macrophage phenotypes.
Conclusions:
Altogether, we observed that the TRα1PV mutation results in phenotypical and functional different BMDMs, with most striking changes in the pro-inflammatory phenotype, underlining the significance of adequate T3-TRα1 signaling in pro-inflammatory macrophage responses.
