A Clonogenic Bone Marrow Progenitor Specific for Macrophages and Dendritic Cells

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1117729
• Publication Date: 2005-12-02T01:44:00Z
• Authors: Darin K. Fogg; Claire Sibon; Chaouki Miled; Steffen Jung; Pierre Aucouturier; Dan R. Littman; Ana Cumano; Frederic Geissmann
• Keywords: Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; Macrophages; CX3C Chemokine Receptor 1; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Cell Differentiation; Cell Separation; Dendritic Cells; Flow Cytometry; Recombinant Proteins; Clone Cells; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; 03 medical and health sciences; Receptors, HIV; 0302 clinical medicine; Colony-Stimulating Factors; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; Animals; Cell Lineage; Receptors, Cytokine; Myeloid Progenitor Cells

Macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for immune and inflammatory responses and belong to a network of cells that has been termed the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). However, the origin and lineage of these cells remain poorly understood. Here, we describe the isolation and clonal analysis of a mouse bone marrow progenitor that is specific for monocytes, several macrophage subsets, and resident spleen DCs in vivo. It was also possible to recapitulate this differentiation in vitro by using treatment with the cytokines macrophage colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Thus, macrophages and DCs appear to renew from a common progenitor, providing a cellular and molecular basis for the concept of the MPS.