Non-classical tissue monocytes and two functionally distinct populations of interstitial macrophages populate the mouse lung

Nat Commun. 2019 Sep 3;10(1):3964. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11843-0.

Abstract

Resident tissue macrophages (RTM) can fulfill various tasks during development, homeostasis, inflammation and repair. In the lung, non-alveolar RTM, called interstitial macrophages (IM), importantly contribute to tissue homeostasis but remain little characterized. Here we show, using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), two phenotypically distinct subpopulations of long-lived monocyte-derived IM, i.e. CD206+ and CD206-IM, as well as a discrete population of extravasating CD64+CD16.2+ monocytes. CD206+ IM are peribronchial self-maintaining RTM that constitutively produce high levels of chemokines and immunosuppressive cytokines. Conversely, CD206-IM preferentially populate the alveolar interstitium and exhibit features of antigen-presenting cells. In addition, our data support that CD64+CD16.2+ monocytes arise from intravascular Ly-6Clo patrolling monocytes that enter the tissue at steady-state to become putative precursors of CD206-IM. This study expands our knowledge about the complexity of lung IM and reveals an ontogenic pathway for one IM subset, an important step for elaborating future macrophage-targeted therapies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Lung / cytology*
  • Lung / metabolism
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / cytology*
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / metabolism
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Monocytes / cytology*
  • Monocytes / metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA
  • Single-Cell Analysis / methods