Abstract
Macrophages are a group of heterogeneous cells widely present throughout the body. Under the influence of their specific environments, via both contact and noncontact signals, macrophages integrate into host tissues and contribute to their development and the functions of their constituent cells. Mitochondria are essential organelles that perform intercellular transfers to regulate cell homeostasis. Our review focuses on newly discovered roles of mitochondrial transfers between macrophages and surrounding cells and summarizes emerging functions of macrophages in transmitophagy, metabolic regulation, and immune defense. We also discuss the negative influence of mitochondrial transfers on macrophages, as well as current therapies targeting mitochondria in macrophages. Regulation of macrophages through mitochondrial transfers between macrophages and their surrounding cells is a promising therapy for various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, obesity, and cancer.
Highlights
Macrophages, which were once considered to be supplied only by adult monocytes, are known to have both bone marrow myeloid and embryonic origins (Ginhoux and Guilliams, 2016)
Mitochondrial transfers from donor cells promote the survival of recipient cells by enabling the recovery of mitochondrial function, as exemplified by neurons and osteocytes with low self-renewal rates (Hayakawa et al, 2016; Gao et al, 2019), chemoresistant cancer cells (Pasquier et al, 2013; Tan et al, 2015; Moschoi et al, 2016), and therapeutic use of stem cells
Recent studies have reported that macrophage-related mitochondrial transfers have important roles in processing unhealthy mitochondria as well as utilizing healthy mitochondria
Summary
Macrophages, which were once considered to be supplied only by adult monocytes, are known to have both bone marrow myeloid and embryonic origins (Ginhoux and Guilliams, 2016). Recent studies have identified various tissue-resident macrophages as important participants in intercellular mitochondrial transfers, unveiling a new function of such macrophages (Phinney et al, 2015; Brestoff et al, 2020; Nicolas-Avila et al, 2020).
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