Immunometabolism of Tissue Resident Macrophages

  • 196

    Total views and downloads

About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 31 January 2026 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 31 May 2026

  2. This Research Topic is currently accepting articles.

Background

Macrophages play a key role in tissue development, homeostasis and aging, they exert protective responses to infections and trauma but can also contribute to chronic inflammatory pathologies and malignant progression. Nearly all tissues are populated by resident tissue resident macrophages (TRMs). Normally, TRMs maintain their population through slow self-renewal, and their role in disease is less clear than bone-marrow derived macrophages that get recruited to these tissues. Their signature is imprinted by their environment and they display fascinating variety in morphology and function that makes them unique from peripherally derived cells. Their phenotypic and functional adaptations are facilitated by dynamic metabolic reprograming and tissue-specific nutrient availability. These nutrients work in concert to mediate energy production required for motility and signaling, anabolism for secretory function and cell proliferation, breakdown of engulfed material, lipid storage and other processes. Therefore, perturbation of these metabolic functions will have effects on tissue specific immunity.

The present issue welcomes original research articles and reviews studying the causal associations between the nature, function and cell metabolism of TRMs. Ultimately, the goal is understanding the metabolism of TRM and how they differ, or are similar, to peripherally recruited cells. Our goal is to improve the current understanding of adaptive, maladaptive and ‘exhausted’ function of TRMs in healthy conditions, disease or aging through the lens of metabolic reprograming. We are interested in revealing differences in cell metabolic changes in acute and long-term responses of TRMs. These studies will provide insight into the effectiveness of pharmacologic or transgenic modulation of metabolic pathways to regulate TRM function in vivo. We welcome studies dissecting metabolic changes in TRMs linked to acute inflammation and its resolution, chronic inflammatory conditions, autoimmunity, metabolic disease and cancer. Finally, we aim to improve current understanding on the role of metabolic reprograming of TRMs in chronic inflammatory disease via formation of immune memory or trained immunity.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• Regulation of adaptive, maladaptive and "exhausted" function of TRMs by metabolic reprograming
• Effectiveness of regulation of cell metabolism to modulate TRM function in vivo
• Metabolic changes in TRMs that mediate acute inflammatory responses and resolution of inflammation in specific sites
• Immunometabolic adaptations of TRMs in chronic inflammatory, autoimmune, metabolic disease, and cancer
• Does metabolic reprograming of TRMs predispose chronic inflammatory disease via formation of immunologic memory or trained immunity?

Research Topic Research topic image

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Case Report
  • Classification
  • Clinical Trial
  • Editorial
  • FAIR² Data
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Keywords: Tissue Resident Macrophages, tissue homeostasis, metabolic reprograming, inflammation, resolution, innate immune memory, cancer

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

Manuscripts can be submitted to this Research Topic via the main journal or any other participating journal.

Impact

  • 196Topic views
View impact