Epigenetic regulation of neutrophil development and function

Semin Immunol. 2016 Apr;28(2):83-93. doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2016.04.002. Epub 2016 Apr 12.

Abstract

In addition to performing well-defined effector functions, neutrophils are now recognized as versatile and sophisticated cells with critical immunoregulatory roles. These include the release of a variety of proinflammatory or immunosuppressive cytokines, as well as the expression of genes with regulatory functions. Neutrophils share broad transcriptional features with monocytes, in keeping with the close developmental relation between the two cell types. However, neutrophil-specific gene expression patterns conferring cell type-specific responses to bacterial, viral or fungal components have been identified. Accumulating evidence suggest that these differences reflect the peculiar epigenomic and regulatory landscapes of neutrophils and monocytes, in turn controlled by the specific lineage-determining transcription factors shaping their identity. In this review, we will describe current knowledge on how neutrophil identity and function are controlled at the molecular level, focusing on transcriptional and chromatin regulation of neutrophil development and activation in response to inflammatory stimuli.

Keywords: Cytokine; Epigenetic; Granulopoiesis; Neutrophil; Transcription factor.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation*
  • Cytokines / genetics
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • DNA Methylation
  • Epigenesis, Genetic*
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate*
  • Myelopoiesis / genetics
  • Neutrophils / cytology*
  • Neutrophils / physiology*

Substances

  • Cytokines