Macrophages reside in all major tissues where they generically function to clear cellular debris and surveil their niche for signs of infection, but also assume specialized roles adapted to the unique needs of their niche. Considerable macrophage diversity exists within some organs, which is most often attributed to differences in the microanatomical niche. This complexity can be further amplified during acute or chronic disease, where macrophages may undergo further functional diversification resulting from niche perturbation or differentiation from recruited monocytes.
Research over the past decade highlights the importance of macrophages in both protecting against and promoting tissue pathophysiology, owing to their remarkable plasticity and sensitivity to input from niche companion cells or the microbiome. The goal for this Research Topic is to advance understanding of these functions by drawing attention to the interrelated mechanisms controlling macrophage niche persistence and coincident functional specialization. New technologies enable experiments directed towards this goal with unparalleled resolution. Major advances in microscopy platforms enable probing mechanisms within intact microanatomical niches of viable hosts, at the molecular-scale resolution, or with high dimensionality. Next-generation sequencing combined with clever molecular biology tricks can facilitate deep insights into gene regulatory mechanisms governing cell behaviors, including at the level of individual cells. While novel gene-editing tools can enable rapid testing of hypotheses and the design of large-scale screens.
We welcome submissions of Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, and Perspectives related to this goal, and are most enthusiastic about submissions using innovative technologies, or covering research related to their use. We welcome submissions covering, but not limited to, the following sub-topics:
• Crosstalk with niche companion cells
• Mechanisms for maintaining tissue sterility or shaping the microbiome
• Molecular and functional differences of tissue-resident and tissue-recruited subsets
• Transcriptional and epigenetic control of niche fitness
• Quorum sensing
• Pharmacological therapies modulating the niche or persistence within the niche
• Microbiome-tissue resident macrophage crosstalk
Topic Editor Dr. Prakash Ramachandran received financial support from Genentech and from Intercept Pharmaceuticals. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
Macrophages reside in all major tissues where they generically function to clear cellular debris and surveil their niche for signs of infection, but also assume specialized roles adapted to the unique needs of their niche. Considerable macrophage diversity exists within some organs, which is most often attributed to differences in the microanatomical niche. This complexity can be further amplified during acute or chronic disease, where macrophages may undergo further functional diversification resulting from niche perturbation or differentiation from recruited monocytes.
Research over the past decade highlights the importance of macrophages in both protecting against and promoting tissue pathophysiology, owing to their remarkable plasticity and sensitivity to input from niche companion cells or the microbiome. The goal for this Research Topic is to advance understanding of these functions by drawing attention to the interrelated mechanisms controlling macrophage niche persistence and coincident functional specialization. New technologies enable experiments directed towards this goal with unparalleled resolution. Major advances in microscopy platforms enable probing mechanisms within intact microanatomical niches of viable hosts, at the molecular-scale resolution, or with high dimensionality. Next-generation sequencing combined with clever molecular biology tricks can facilitate deep insights into gene regulatory mechanisms governing cell behaviors, including at the level of individual cells. While novel gene-editing tools can enable rapid testing of hypotheses and the design of large-scale screens.
We welcome submissions of Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, and Perspectives related to this goal, and are most enthusiastic about submissions using innovative technologies, or covering research related to their use. We welcome submissions covering, but not limited to, the following sub-topics:
• Crosstalk with niche companion cells
• Mechanisms for maintaining tissue sterility or shaping the microbiome
• Molecular and functional differences of tissue-resident and tissue-recruited subsets
• Transcriptional and epigenetic control of niche fitness
• Quorum sensing
• Pharmacological therapies modulating the niche or persistence within the niche
• Microbiome-tissue resident macrophage crosstalk
Topic Editor Dr. Prakash Ramachandran received financial support from Genentech and from Intercept Pharmaceuticals. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
