Capacité de prolifération inattendue des monocytes sanguins

Our current knowledge indicates that most of the cells that constitute a living organism are derived from stem cells, which have divided to give rise to a larger number of cells. These cells then stop proliferating to specialize, differentiate and form muscles, brain, bones, immune cells, etc.  

In a study published in Nature Immunology, the team of Thomas Marichal (WEL Research Institute - ULiège) discovered that this ability to proliferate was not merely restricted to stem cells but is also an as-yet-unknown function of blood immune cells, the monocytes. Blood monocytes, previously considered differentiated cells, are capable of proliferating and generating a pool of monocytes in the tissues in order to give rise to macrophages, which are important immune cells that protect us against microbes and support the proper functioning of our organs.

This study paves the way for further investigations that will evaluate the possibility of manipulating or controlling monocyte proliferation for therapeutic purposes.

Reference : Vanneste et al (2023) Nature Immunol,  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01468-3

Source : Press release ULiège 

Illustration © Adeline Deward - Illumine