%A Gordon,Siamon %A Plüddemann,Annette %D 2018 %J Frontiers in Immunology %C %F %G English %K Apoptosis,apoptotic cells,clearance of apoptotic cells,Phagocytosis,Macrophages %Q %R 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00127 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2018-January-30 %9 Review %+ Siamon Gordon,College of Medicine, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University,Taiwan,siamon.gordon@path.ox.ac.uk %+ Siamon Gordon,Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford,United Kingdom,siamon.gordon@path.ox.ac.uk %# %! MACROPHAGE CLEARANCE OF APOPTOTIC CELLS %* %< %T Macrophage Clearance of Apoptotic Cells: A Critical Assessment %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00127 %V 9 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1664-3224 %X As the body continues to grow and age, it becomes essential to maintain a balance between living and dying cells. Macrophages and dendritic cells play a central role in discriminating among viable, apoptotic, and necrotic cells, as selective and efficient phagocytes, without inducing inappropriate inflammation or immune responses. A great deal has been learnt concerning clearance receptors for modified and non-self-ligands on potential targets, mediating their eventual uptake, disposal, and replacement. In this essay, we assess current understanding of the phagocytic recognition of apoptotic cells within their tissue environment; we conclude that efferocytosis constitutes a more complex process than simply removal of corpses, with regulatory interactions between the target and effector cells, which determine the outcome of this homeostatic process.