Complement receptor phenotypes of culture-derived murine macrophages
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Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Generation and Identification of GM-CSF Derived Alveolar-like Macrophages and Dendritic Cells From Mouse Bone Marrow
Published on: June 25, 2016
Insights
Macrophages from different sources show distinct complement receptor (CR1 and CR3) patterns. Normal peritoneal macrophages exhibit heterogeneity, suggesting at least two distinct macrophage types exist.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Complement receptors (CR1 and CR3) play crucial roles in immune responses.
- Macrophages are key immune cells with diverse functions and phenotypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distribution of complement receptors CR1 and CR3 on macrophages from various sources.
- To determine if macrophage phenotypes, defined by CR1 and CR3 expression, differ based on their origin.
Main Methods:
- Culturing macrophages from bone marrow, blood, and normal or elicited peritoneal cells.
- Analyzing the expression of complement receptors CR1 and CR3 on these macrophages using immunophenotyping.
- Observing macrophage morphology and CR phenotypes throughout the culture period.
Main Results:
- Macrophages from bone marrow, blood, and elicited peritoneal cells shared a common CR1+3- phenotype.
- Normal peritoneal cell populations displayed two phenotypes: CR1+3- and CR1+3+.
- The CR1+3- phenotype was associated with both spindle-shaped and epithelial-like macrophages, while CR1+3+ was mainly found in epithelioid cell colonies.
- Morphological features and CR phenotypes remained stable during culture.
Conclusions:
- Phenotypic heterogeneity exists within normal peritoneal macrophages regarding CR1 and CR3 expression.
- The observed differences suggest the presence of at least two distinct, clonally derived macrophage populations.
Abstract:
The distribution of complement receptors CR1 and CR3 among macrophages derived from cultures of bone marrow, blood, and elicited or normal peritoneal cell populations was studied. Cells and colonies from the first three sources had a common phenotype, CR1+3-, whereas those from the normal peritoneal populations had either CR1+3- or CR1+3+. The former phenotype characterized spindle-shaped as well as epithelial-like macrophages; the latter was essentially restricted to colonies made up of the epithelioid cells. Both morphologic features and the CR phenotypes remained stable throughout the culture period. These phenotypic differences might be explained by the presence of at least two clonally derived types of macrophages.

