AUTHOR=Fang Mei , Mei Fengjun , Li Guangrui TITLE=Erythroblast island macrophages and their surface markers JOURNAL=Frontiers in Hematology VOLUME=Volume 4 - 2025 YEAR=2025 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/hematology/articles/10.3389/frhem.2025.1580621 DOI=10.3389/frhem.2025.1580621 ISSN=2813-3935 ABSTRACT=Erythroblast Island Macrophages (EIMs) are specialized cells that play a crucial role in erythropoiesis by forming erythroblastic islands (EBIs) and supporting the maturation of erythroblasts. These macrophages express a variety of surface markers that mediate their interactions with erythroblasts and regulate erythropoiesis. Most studies on EMIs rely on flow cytometry analysis and selecting the correct surface markers is of great importance when conducting research. This review provides a brief overview of the surface markers expressed by EIMs, including α5-integrin, CD11b, CD16, CD163, CD169, CD206, CSF1R, EPOR, F4/80, Gr1, MerTK, PPARγ, Timd4, and VCAM1. We also discuss the heterogeneity of EIMs and subsets of EIMs, such as F4/80+VCAM-1+CD169+EPOR+ macrophages.