Abstract
Macrophages perform a variety of different biological functions and are known for their essential role in the immune response. In this context, a principal function is phagocytic clearance of pathogens, apoptotic and senescent cells. However, the major targets of homeostatic phagocytosis by macrophages are old/damaged red blood cells. As such, macrophages play a crucial role in iron trafficking, as they recycle the large quantity of iron obtained by hemoglobin degradation. They also seem particularly adapted to handle and store amounts of iron that would be toxic to other cell types. Here, we examine the specific and peculiar iron metabolism of macrophages.
Highlights
BezsonovPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
We highlighted the molecular control of iron trafficking in macrophages, an expanding area of investigation that, in recent years, has provided additional advances in knowledge and understanding of the multiple functions of these versatile cells
In line with the purpose of this Special Issue, which is aimed at the description of the involvement of macrophages in homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of non-infectious pathophysiological conditions, we covered iron trafficking in macrophages
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Macrophages, differentiated cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system, are essential for the innate immune surveillance and the induction of the inflammatory response They have a variety of other key homeostatic functions as resident cells in several tissues [1]. Macrophages return hemoglobinderived iron to the circulation, thereby providing most of the iron to meet the requirement of erythropoietic cells, which acquire almost exclusively transferrin-bound iron and use it for hemoglobin synthesis and cell proliferation [2] These iron recycling phagocytes are macrophages resident in the spleen red pulp and liver (Kupffer cells), which depend on the activity of the heme-responsive Spi-C transcription factor for development and acquisition of this specialized function [3].
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