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Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Bone Marrow-derived Macrophage Production
07:06

Bone Marrow-derived Macrophage Production

Published on: November 22, 2013

Macrophage response to microbial pathogens: modulation of the expression of adhesion, CD14, and MHC class II

R Keller1, R Keist, P Joller

  • 1Department of Pathology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Scandinavian Journal of Immunology
|September 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Microbial agents like bacteria, viruses, and fungi affect macrophage surface molecule expression differently. Bacteria generally enhance expression, while viruses and fungi down-regulate it, impacting immune responses.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Macrophage surface molecules play critical roles in immune cell interactions and activation.
  • Different microbial components can elicit distinct responses from immune cells.
  • Understanding these interactions is key to developing immunomodulatory therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how inactivated microbial agents (viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi) modulate specific macrophage surface molecules.
  • To compare the effects of different microbial types on macrophage activation markers.
  • To correlate observed surface molecule changes with known macrophage functional responses.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized flow cytometry to analyze the expression of CD14, CD49d, CD49f, CD11a (LFA-1), and CD54 (ICAM-1) on bone marrow-derived mononuclear phagocytes (BMM phi).
  • Incubated BMM phi with inactivated viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi.
  • Assessed the impact on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II expression amplification by interferon gamma.

Main Results:

  • Bacterial agents predominantly enhanced the expression of macrophage surface molecules.
  • Viruses and fungi significantly down-regulated several adhesion receptors, particularly integrins.
  • All tested microbial agents inhibited the interferon gamma-induced amplification of MHC class II expression.

Conclusions:

  • Distinct microbial types differentially modulate macrophage surface molecule expression.
  • Bacterial agents are potent stimulators of macrophage secretory and cell-mediated activities.
  • Viruses, protozoa, and fungi are less effective stimulators, likely due to down-regulation of key surface receptors.

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